Escape
by Missy the Cat
Summary: Amy finds herself able to survive the invading forces of the Mephiles during an attack on Deerwood. Impressed, Mephiles takes Amy as his own to her horror. Taken from home and with no hope of escape, Amy finds herself pulled into the lives of the Mystic Beings with no way to stop it. However, when Amy is freed by the most unexpected of people, Amy discovers once again that there.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

Please Review.

No Flames.

* * *

Shadow the Hedgehog is a 24 year old muscular jet black Mobius hedgehog with red stripes on his quills, around the edges of his eyes, and on his arms and legs, has crimson-red eyes, a patch of white fur on his chest, and his muzzle is tan, has 6 quills on his head, 4 of which curve upwards and 2 that curve downwards, 2 spines on his back, and a small tail and in his usual outfit, white gloves with black cuffs and red tongues, and dark grey boots, like his gloves, have black cuffs and orange-red tongues, on each of his wrists and ankles, he wears a single gold rings, dark brown jacket, a long sleeved black shirt, and long black pants.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 21 year old muscular Mobius hedgehog with cobalt blue fur that covers most of his body, tan skin that covers his arms, muzzle and front torso, and emerald-green eyes, has 6 long quills on the back of his head, 2 spines protruding from his back behind his shoulders, and a short tail, and in his usual outfit, 2 light-weight, hyper friction resistant red boots with white cuffs around the ankles, gray soles, and white straps across the top, the last of which are held down by a golden buckle on each foot, he also wears a pair of white gloves with sock-like cuffs on his hands, 2 black cuffs on his wrists, long sleeved dark grey shirt, black jacket, and long dark blue pants.

Amy Rose is a 19 year old curvy rosy pink-quilled Little Planet female hedgehog, jade-green eyes, and peach skin on her muzzle and arms, quills that reached a knee length, in her usual outfit, white gloves, a long sleeved red tunic, long black pants, and dark red boots.

Charles the Hedgehog is a 50 year old hedgehog who bares many physical similarities to Sonic, but has light blue quills, has a thick, grey mustache that obscures his mouth, as well as similarly thick, grey eyebrows, arching over his light brown eyes and in his usual outfit. white gloves, a maroon colored, slightly pointed shoes with 2 dark yellow straps and and white cuffs, and white gloves.

Chuck the Hedgehog is a 52 year old hedgehog with blue-grey fur and grey eyes, and in his usual outfit, long brown pants, a long sleeved yellow dress shirt, white gloves, and brick-red shoes with 3 yellow straps.

Mephiles the Hedgehog is a 28 year old dark grey hedgehog, greyish-blue streaks, green eyes with slit pupils, a pale-skinned muzzle, and in his usual outfit, white gloves, black cuffs on his wrists, long sleeved dark brown shirt, long black pants, and brown boots.

Pachacamac is 57 year old reddish-brown echidna, tan muzzle, purple eyes, and in his usual outfit, red tunic, long brown pants, brown jacket, and green boots.

Simon is a 72 year old echidna that has red fur, blue eyes, peach skin, and cybernetic left arm, and in his usual outfit, a grey jacket, a long sleeved beige shirt, and brown shoes.

Espio is a 25 year old purple chameleon with a yellow horn between his eyes, golden eyes and a ridge of three black scales down his spine and a coiled tail. He wears dark purple and black shoes with elaborate cuffs, white gloves with a purple back, and studded bands around his wrists and ankles.

Lupe is a tall, gray wolf with dark gray fur from her snout to her tail, her black hair is somewhat spiky and mohawk-like, features a white streak, and is always bound in a braid, green eyes, and a scar-like marking under each eye.

Walter Naugus appears as a tall, gruesome troll with bat ears, a rhinoceros horn emerging from his forehead, a long white beard, a gloved lobster claw in place of a left hand, a gloved lobster claw in place of a left hand, and a thick tail and in his usual outfit, a purple tunic, purple pants, gray gloves and boots, a cape, and a stereotypical wizard/witch hat with a large brim and a point that falls to one side.

James Rose is a 42 year old male white hedgehog, jade green eyes, and in his usual outfit, a dark brown tunic, long black pants, brown jacket, and dark blue boots.

Lily Rose is a 39 year old female red hedgehog, waist length quills, sky blue eyes and in her usual outfit, a knee length dark green dress, and brown boots.

Maria is a light grey wolf with long black hair and dark blue eyes.

Locke is a 55 year old red echidna male with blue eyes, peach muzzle, and in his usual outfit, white gloves, dark grey shirt, light brown pants, blue boots, and brown jacket.

Scourge is a 24 year old lime green quilled hedgehog, has a pair of slash marks on his torso, sky blue eye color, and in his usual outfit, a long sleeved black jacket, a short sleeved light grey tunic, a long blue pants, and black and green leather boots.

Vector is a 34 year old large, green-skinned crocodile with spiky red scales down his tail and golden rod-colored eyes, a thick body that resembles that of an S-shape, with a broad upper body starts including his long arms, getting slimmer towards his tail and legs, his belly, snout and arms are light green, while the rest of his body is dark green and in his usual outfit, a small, brown tunic, and long grey pants, white gloves with black-and-orange cuffs, embellished with gold buckles as well as black boots figured with white and orange colors.

Anita the Hedgehog is a 29 year old hedgehog with royal yellow fur that reached her lower back and bangs at a shoulder length, green eyes, and in her usual outfit, green round earrings, a pink sleeveless shirt, a maroon pants that reached her knees, and blue and white shoes with shoelaces, tips and soles.

Finitevus is a 65 year old white echidna with a black collar, dreadlocks and on his forehead rests a swirling pattern, purple eyes, and in his usual outfit, a silver belt with a crescent moon symbol on the buckle and a black cape with horizontal white and black stripes on the inside, which is held by a golden clasp inscribed with an identical symbol, yellow tunic, long black pants, and black boots.

Jules the Hedgehog is a 47 year old mobius hedgehog, dark blue quills, sky blue eyes, and in his usual outfit, a long brown tunic, long blue pants, and brown boots.

Aleena the Hedgehog is a 48 year old purple fur, quill-less hedgehog with dark purple hair, and dark blue eyes, in her usual outfit, a short sleeved silver dress that reached her knees and purple boots

Brenda is a 26 year old royal yellow hedgehog female with peach skin, back length quills, lavender eyes, and in her usual outfit, a bright green dress, a cream colored coat, brown boots.

Infinite is a 27 year old jackal with black fur and he has white long and stiff dreadlocks, a white collar of some kind, and white stripes on his back that resemble a rib cage, a bushy tail with a white tip covering his sharp fingers, pointed, metal black hi-tops, with his personal infinity symbol engraved on red soles, his right eye is colored blue, though he has a scar across it, and his left eye is yellow, a medium-long white muzzle with cheek tuffs, a black nose, and noticeable fangs, and in his usual outfit, black gloves with silver streaks on the back, a black tunic, long dark brown pants, and brown boots.

Tobor is a 68 year old brown echidna with blue eyes, and in his usual outfit, white gloves, green tunic, brown pants, and green boots.

Remington is a 45 year old brown echidna with dark blue eyes, and in his usual outfit, white gloves, dark green tunic, long brown pants, and green boots.

Sally Acorn is 24 year brown squirrel-chipmunk with shoulder length dark auburn hair that connects to the stripe going down her back and ending on her tail, her face has a lighter brown patch, dark blue eyes, and in her usual outfit, long dark blue dress with white rimmings, dark brown boots with white outlines on the buckles, white gloves, a closed blue vest with a black crop-top hidden underneath.

...

Everyone in their usual outfits.

...

Deerwood Forest.

Outside.

Day Time.

_..._

_Dream._

_Amy remembered the blood and she remembered the way that it caked in her quills and covered her clothes. Bits of it had dried onto Amy's fur and skin, and there was no water around to be found._

_The dirty ground was wet, bugs crushed beneath Amy, and mud covering whatever else of her quills wasn't dirty._

_Pain shot through Amy's arms and for a moment the idea of grabbing one of her knives or shooting another arrow repulsed her. Amy couldn't even stand any longer, the gash in her legs forcing her down. Blood poured out of it, turning Amy's legs red and pink._

_Amy should have listened to her mother, Lily._

_..._

_Flashback._

_11 years ago._

_Day Time._

_"Amy, your father and I trust that you can fight. We helped to train you after all." Lily said._

_Amy closed her eyes. The dark, tree branch filled sky vanished, and was quickly replaced by her mother's long red quills and warm sky blue eyes and in her usual outfit, a knee length dark green dress, and brown boots._

_"Amy, mystical beings are nothing like spiders." Lily said, sighing. "Promise me that you won't be so reckless."_

_Slowly, Lily's image faded away._

_Flashback Ends._

_..._

_Mephiles looked to the sky, his green eyes wide. _

_Mephiles took 2 long sniffs and then turned back to the others. "I smell the Hedgehog and his kin." he said._

_Amy bit her lip. _

_Amy had known Mephiles was heading to Mystic Cave while still having his eyes set on capturing the Mobians, but she had hoped it would be a side issue. The stray Mobians miners and traders near Mazuri whom had all worn different style clothing had just seemed like a sport to Mephiles and the others, nothing more. It was just supposed to get the wolf pack something else to chew on._

_"How far away are they?" one of the male Mystical Beings asked. "I need to test how sharp my axe is. Will it go through a Mobian's head or only half way?"_

_A few of the other mystical beings started laughing and raising their weapons high._

_Amy's stomach twisted._

_Mephiles only raised his right arm and pointed it forward. "We can stop to rest later. As of now, our only thoughts are on the Mobians. If we do not go after them now then we risk losing them." he said, his glare deepened. "I am not losing the Little Planet Hedgehog again."_

_Amy looked over to Lupe as she was still chewing on the bone of a captured deer, seemingly too focused on the very last of her food to notice what was going on. Amy's wolf pack eyes met her own and she dropped her bone._

_"We must be going." Amy said, reaching out with her left hand and quickly scratched the back of Lupe's right ear._

_Lupe merely stood up and her back high. With shaking legs, Amy climbed on Lupe._

_The mystical beings had chased the Mobians to the edge of Hill Top Village before they themselves were chased away by Little Planet animals. Mephiles had ordered the troops to re-position, his eyes never leaving Amy as he did so. Amy had found herself straight in the center, mystical beings covering her on all sides._

_Perhaps it was better that way, Mephiles didn't want the Little Planet animals to see Amy, and she did not want to see them. Little Planet animals were strong, but they too could fall, bodies lying like lost dolls in the dirt. In between screams there were always mourning cries._

_Lupe raced forward, her sharp fangs bared. Of the 2, Lupe was the one far more bothered by this arrangement; as one of the fastest wolf pack, she needed to be up front where she could run freely. Back here, Lupe had to slow for other wolf pack._

_"I'm sorry." Amy thought. _

_Amy grabbed an arrow from her quiver with her right hand and prepared her bow with her left hand. Though Amy doubted that she would have to actually fire it, it was still better to have one and try and be safe._

_Amy's dark hood had long since dropped from the wind, and her pink quills hung free._

_Below Amy, the crushed grass began to turn red._

_Dream Ends._

_..._

Night Time.

Amy had woken up to the sound of mystical beings chattering as her body still ached, and it took her a moment to realize what was happening.

"Only one Little Planet hedgehog left." one of the Mystical Beings said.

It had taken Amy years to finally figure out what the mystical beings had spoken on that cruel day.

"Why isn't the ugly beast dead?" one of the mystic beings asked. "All the others are gone."

"I thought that this one was dead, but she wasn't. Master Mephiles noticed it." one of the Mystic Beings said then paused for a moment. "This one, this Little Planet hedgehog, is different."

Though at the time Amy could not recognize the words, a shiver had run up Amy's spine.

In only a moment Amy was frozen once more. The 2 Mystical Beings had looked over to Amy, meeting her directly in the eye.

The 2 Mystic Beings grinned, showing off small yellow knives.

Amy doubted the 2 Mystic Beings would pose for a portrait looking like that.

"Well, well, well, the beast awoke. The scum really did survive." one of the 2 Mystic Beings said.

Sweat formed on the back of Amy's neck. With what little strength that Amy still had left, she reached for weapons with her left hand that were not there.

"Go." one of the mystical beings said to the other. "Master Mephiles will be pleased to hear of this."

One of the Mystic Beings looked back to Amy.

Amy struggled to sit up, the Mystic Beings all the while watching her. Amy had been stripped of her weapons, except for the knives hidden in her boots. If the Mystical Beings could just look away then Amy could grab both of them. They were small, yes, but better than nothing.

Amy's arms still shook, and part of her just wanted to collapse back into the dirt. Amy's leg had been surprisingly bandaged over, but it still ached as well.

...

5 minutes later.

The mystical beings returned with another. This Mystical Beings were black and dark purple than most of the others, with swords in each hand. The unknown mystic being looked looked like a black and grey hedgehog with most of his quills curved up but his eyes were strange and sickly green compared to the others, though his glare was harder than the other mystical beings.

Amy didn't wait for the mystical beings to look away. Amy forced off her boots, grabbing her knives with both hands, and propelled herself forward. Judging by the area around her, Amy was still in Deerwood Forest; she had run around barefoot in the forest before, and she would do it again.

Amy's knives went straight through the Mystical Being's face, and she just as quickly pushed herself upwards again. For a moment, Amy rode through the air, her knives raised. Once Amy's feet hit the ground, she raced forward.

Everyone was silent around the fire that night. There were no jokes or discussions of planned future victories. Most simply ate and slept, too exhausted from the day earlier.

From the corner of her eye, Amy watched Mephiles as he was especially grim that night, and barely seemed to be touching his food. Amy's eyes watered at the sight of Mephiles's meat, she was nearly finished with her own.

After a while, Mephiles seemed to catch Amy's gaze and handed her his meat with his right hand. Amy's eyes met Mephiles's own for a moment, and her eyes drifted down towards the scars that still covered his face. A lump formed in Amy's throat, and she again wondered why they had not healed. Mephiles only had one worse injury, one that anyone could see without ever meeting his face.

"Will we keep heading after the Mobians tomorrow?" Amy asked.

"Indeed." Mephiles said. "You are angered, are you not? I know you wish to face the Necromancer yourself. Few willingly go to him."

Amy shook her head. "Your feud should end." she said.

Despite everything that happened earlier, Mephiles gave Amy a small smile.

"I cannot wait until it is finally over. It's propelled me forward, yet I want it over." Mephiles said.

Amy continued to eat her meat, though slower this time. Lupe slept at Amy's feet, warm fur brushing up against Amy's legs.

With the mystical beings now surrounding Amy, their large hands wrapped around her body and holding her up like a flimsy rag doll, she wondered how she was even still alive. Amy's leg still ached, and dried blood still covered her.

The head of the mystical beings grinned down at Amy, its scars looking already to have stopped bleeding from where she had attacked it.

It spoke, and in that moment Amy was glad to not yet understand its tongue.

They had to go over the Mystic mountain to get to the Mobians. By the time that they caught up, Mephiles was grinning from ear to ear. Amy was near the front, her hood covering her face and white gloves covering her hands and her bow was ready in case she needed to fire.

Lupe raced happily, surely her stomach was grumbling.

_"The Mobians."_ Amy thought, noticing.

The Mobian animals looked weak and scattered as most of them looked afraid, and none seemed to immediately resemble the Hedgehog from what she could see.

As much as Amy loved her wolf pack, the Mobians did not deserve to become Lupe's dinner.

The Mobians headed towards the trees, yelling frantically to each other as they were like ants escaping from a nest filling with water.

Amy raised her bow with her left hand and fired with her right hand. None of the other mystical beings seemed to notice how Amy's arrows sailed past the Mobians so conveniently, close and yet just not close enough.

_"Keep moving."_ Amy thought. _"Get into the trees."_

With Mystic Cave so close, Amy doubted that the other Mobians would be chased so long as Mephiles could get the Hedgehog. Even the wizard that was rumored to be traveling with them did not bother Mephiles as much as his enemy did.

The mystical beings began to dismount, leaving the wolf pack to either stay behind or fight if they wished. Lupe herself showed her fangs and kept close to Amy.

Each step was careful. Amy continued to fire with her right hand, every arrow close but not close enough.

Fiery pine cones rained down from the air, and Amy jumped past them. The wolf pack were shocked, but the mystical beings kept forward. Standing close to Lupe, Amy watched Mephiles step forward.

Were it not for her bow then Amy feared she would have helped force the trees down.

Cries rang through the air. First they were screams and then cries of protest.

Amy's heart skipped a beat.

Charles the Hedgehog up close was so different from what she had expected. For all that Mephiles had spoken of Charles, Amy had been sure that he was closer to a deity than a Mobian. Still, Charles looked so average, muscular, and muzzled, but so were other Mobians. There was nothing strikingly different about Charles.

Amy looked Lupe in the eyes one last moment and then raced forward. Amy didn't even know what she needed to do, but standing around would do nothing.

Mephiles and Charles cried and their swords clashed. Mephiles's dreams were finally coming true.

Amy froze near Mephiles and Charles but did not fight. Amy's grip on her bow weakened.

What could Amy really do? Amy was in the middle of who knew where with only a few arrows left. Mephiles had proven before that his tracking abilities were great. Besides, the Mobians looked ready to fall at any moment.

It seemed Mephiles would soon have everything that he ever wanted.

Amy forced her eyes shut.

_"Mystic Cave is close."_ Amy thought. _"Remember that."_

When Amy again opened her eyes, she found Mephiles knocking Charles to the ground. Charles's large body thumped to the ground, nothing but a bug under Mephiles's feet.

Amy's heart raced. Even if Charles got a wounded leg, she doubted that Mephiles would spare him. Charles may have been different from most Mobians, but that surely would not save him, not when Mephiles so desired Charles the Hedgehog's head so much.

Even from this distance angle, Amy could see Mephiles grinning. Her stomach churned.

From the corner of her eyes, Amy looked to Infinite. Infinite too looked slightly stressed, though Mephiles himself was delighted.

Amy gripped her bow tighter with her left hand. All those years of listening to Mephiles cry more often that not in anger, watching him face the loss of his arm, and listen to him swear vengeance was finally coming to an end.

Mephiles raised his sword with his right hand.

Amy shut her eyes.

When Amy opened her eyes a few seconds later, she saw Charles up, Mephiles on the ground, and a creature with no shoes on holding a sword.

_"He's still alive."_ Amy thought.

Amy stepped away, heading back towards Lupe. This was Mephiles's fight alone.

As Amy forced herself past the fire, her hood fell off. Amy did not bother to put it back on the Mobians likely would not notice her after all as their own sights were set on their king.

Amy searched for Lupe through the smoke. The wood of Amy's bow dug into her fur and skin.

_"Mystic Cave."_ Amy thought. _"Lupe. Mystic Cave. Lupe."_

The words echoed through Amy's mind and connected with loose images.

_"I need."_ Amy thought, her heart racing and mind as smoke filled as the land around her. _"I need to get out of here."_

It took Amy a moment to realize that her feet were off the ground. Amy looked down, her bow clutched tightly in her left hand. Amy's legs moved around in the air, reaching for ground that was not there. As the moments passed, more and more Dragons filled the sky, taking Mobians with them. All the while, the dragon holding Amy around the shoulders clung to her tighter and cried out to the other dragons.

Below her, Lupe howled.

...

Tomorrow.

Day Time.

For the second time in Amy's life, she awoke to others chattering above her while her body ached. Slowly, Amy's eyes opened.

The sky was clear, showing only a few fluffy white clouds. Amy's arms ached more than her legs, and it took a lot of energy to force herself up.

_"Where am I?"_ Amy thought.

None of the voices had sounded like any of the mystical beings that Amy knew.

Amy's legs shook, though she locked eyes with a number of Mobians, a wizard, and that creature from earlier.

"The Little Planet animal is up." one of the Mobian animals said.

"Ch-Charles the Hedgehog?" Amy asked.

One of the Mobius animals was the one closest to Amy as he was a hedgehog with cobalt blue quills and emerald green eyes.

Charles looked dirty and tired, so different from the courageous fighter from the night before.

At Charles's right side was the cobalt blue male hedgehog, who looked like a man though much smaller, Charles had his right arm around him.

Amy's eyes darted around and it looked as though they were high above any surface.

"You are alive?" Amy asked, rubbing the left side of her head with her left hand. "And the mystical beings are gone?"

"Yes." Charles said, his sword was at his left side. "The mystical beings fled."

The tears came in an instant from Amy's eyes. The mystical beings were gone, nowhere in sight. Even as the dragons had pulled Amy away and she felt herself lose consciousness, she had been sure that somehow she would wake up with Lupe at her side and Mephiles's watchful eyes over her.

The tears did nothing to keep Amy's wobbly legs from falling.

Surprisingly, it was Charles the Hedgehog who stopped her fall as she found her face in his shoulders.

"Please tell me Mephiles is dead." Amy said, her voice had risen, and the tears came down harder.

Before anyone could reply, 2 Mobians hedgehogs burst out laughing.

"Sonic, do you see that?" Charles asked

"Yeah!" Sonic said. "I'm glad that my eyes aren't deceiving me then. Uncle Charles is hugging a Little Planet animal!"

...

Forest.

Day Time.

Mephiles had slept fitfully the night before as his dreams always involved the same Mobian in each one, Charles got closer and closer to him. It had started with chasing Charles, running through endless fields in search of a Mobian who was always one step ahead of him. Then, Charles had been captured a few times or spies had been able to grab him, though Mephiles himself had never been in front of him. Just before Mephiles had woken up, his dreams had shifted slightly to where he was so close to Charles that he could see the very fear in his light brown eyes with his left hand, he easily could have wrapped it around Charles's neck and squeezed.

Mephiles woke up before that could happen and it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the light. Sitting up, Mephiles looked around. Infinite was leaned up against the side of a tree and snoring loudly. The other mystical beings were still asleep, either all curled up together or dotted around the clearing, their weapons right by their bodies. A few were even cuddled up against their wolf pack.

The only other being who was awake seemed to be Lupe. Mephiles's own wolf pack, Maria, was asleep. The night before, Maria had stayed up late to clean her grey fur.

Lupe looked over to Mephiles for a moment and then her blue eyes returned to the ground. Ever since they had stopped to make camp the night before, the wolf pack had laid down and refused to move. Before then, Lupe had howled constantly for her mistress, Mephiles honestly could not tell which he disliked more. On one hand, Lupe's constant howling had been annoying but on the other hand she looked no better lying on the ground. Every once in a while, Lupe whimpered and moved her tail in just the slightest way. Had Mephiles not seen it then he would have thought that the wolf pack had turned into a statue.

Lupe had not touched any of her meat the night before.

As Mephiles slowly stretched out his muscles, he could not help but notice how cold his fur and skin was. Most nights, whenever Amy did not curl up with Lupe, she would lean into his good side. Mephiles was far larger than Lupe, but she had long since stopped noticing. Using his right arm, Mephiles pulled Lupe closer.

Mephiles leaned down on his knees and ran his left hand through Lupe's fur. The female wolf pack stiffened beneath Mephiles.

"Relax." Mephiles said whispering, leaning down until his lips were only inches away from Lupe's pointed ears. "Amy will be back in no time. We just need to rescue her from the Hedgehog and the rest of his scum."

Lupe growled, showing off sharp teeth.

"They'll pay." Mephiles said, grinning. "You will make them."

Slowly, Lupe stood up.

Mephiles stood up and walked over to where his small supply bag. Carefully, Mephiles picked it up and opened it with both hands and pulled out a torn piece of red cloth with his right hand.

Lupe was scratching herself with her left leg when Mephiles returned. Lupe froze when she saw the cloth and took a long sniff when Mephiles held it out to her.

"Follow the scent." Mephiles said. "There are great things ahead."

Lupe licked Mephiles's right arm.

...

Mystic Mountains.

As the group had climbed down the mountain, Amy had felt everyone's eyes on her. Even with shaking legs, Amy had done her best to walk by herself. No one needed to be touching Amy, especially not Charles. That had been an accident.

Right now, all Amy really needed was to be alone.

It had hit Amy slowly just how much trouble she was in. The pieces of the puzzle had connected in Amy's mind only after she even realized it needed to be solved.

Amy took a step onto solid, grassy ground and her arms were wrapped around her chest, and she had positioned her quills to block off her vision of the others.

Behind Amy, a green bear Mobian male whispered in his own tongue. A shiver ran up Amy's spine as she had no hope of ever translating it. Just as quickly, the green bear Mobian male responded. A whole flurry of whispers began, and Amy could already feel the ground on her face.

_"You shouldn't be here."_ a voice in Amy's head said to her.

Amy hadn't heard that voice in a while and it was louder than usual, as if to make up for its absence. _"You have to leave now."_

Amy had heard it even before she met Mephiles, it had been easier to ignore back then. Even then however Amy had been unable to discover just who the voice was. It had been too deep to be Amy's father's, and sounded too sober to be her Uncle Dan'O's. Amy's mother never could have sounded like that even if she had been able to do a spot on impression of Jules, and neither her king nor his son could have sounded like that if they tried. The mystical beings had no one similar.

If it was anyone, then it couldn't have been Amy.

Amy wrapped her arms around her chest tighter. The Mobian animals spoke on, chattering away in japanese.

_"You don't belong here."_ the voice in Amy's head said.

Amy forced her eyes shut.

_"You know this is not how things are supposed to be."_ the voice in Amy's head said.

Bile rose in her throat, the thick taste of yesterday's meat filling her mouth.

_"You don't even know what you're doing here."_ the voice in Amy's head said.

The Mobian animals continued to speak in their native tongue while they ate. The wizard, Walter Naugus, was silent as well, sitting right next to the scientist Chuck the Hedgehog. The wizard was taller than his friend even when he sat; he was taller than even Charles.

Amy still had yet to meet Walter in the eyes.

Chuck the Hedgehog was much smaller and he ate slowly, taking long sips of the broth in his stew, and slowly tearing apart his piece of bread with both hands. Every movement was deliberate. Looking at Chuck was almost as hard as doing the same for Walter, both quickly caught on that they were being watched.

Only 2 male Mobian hedgehogs had volunteered to sit near Amy. 1 had cobalt blue spiky quills and emerald green eyes and the other 1 had black and red spiky quills with 4 curved upwards and 2 downwards and crimson red eyes and both of them look alike.

Amy couldn't be 100 percent sure, but they reminded her of the joking Mobians from up on the guardian mountain.

Amy did not take her time to eat. Once the bowl was in Amy's right hand, full of steaming hot stew, and the piece of bread in her left hand, she had dug in. The bread had been mixed with the broth and vegetables and stuffed in Amy's face in minutes. The meat had been saved for last, each precious piece untouched until needed.

Amy took one piece between her fingers, juices wetting her fingertips. Amy popped it into her mouth and started chewing it. As soon as it was swallowed, Amy grabbed the next.

The meat was rough against Amy's tongue and would have been pretty dry were it not for the broth. It certainly wasn't venison and it lacked the taste of beef or chicken. It wasn't even wolf pack meat; that was tougher, and didn't take nearly as much cooking. Rarely did anyone ever eat it, and not unless needed, but Amy would have recognized the taste anywhere.

As questions ran circles inside Amy's head, she continued to put in piece after piece of meat. Every juice that fell on Amy's lips or fingers were licked away.

If Amy had to, perhaps she could learn to enjoy the taste.

The Mystical Beings had retreated from Deerwood Forest; all the while, Amy had kept her eyes open for extra soldiers that were not coming. Amy's throat had tightened and hadn't she had any weapons left then she had no idea what she would actually do with them.

From the back of the dirty cart that Amy had been shoved in, she watched Deerwood Forest retreat into nothing. The enchantment that the forest held became nothing if the mystical beings were bothered by the forest then they did not show it. Amy's own parents had struggled with it many days while out fighting and her parents had trained to fight for years. There were some days where Amy had waited for them to return home, heart racing and skin pale, 1 wrong step or 1 hallucination and they could be gone forever.

Sometimes Amy wished for a spider to appear, the thought dancing in and out of her head. It would have been so fitting, especially since more and more had started to appear recently.

No spider ever came, however, though Amy did watch large, empty webs pass them by. The webs looked like the blood of ghosts.

Beside herself, no one was in the cart. It was a large, empty space, with only a few areas open for peering outside. Darkness filled most of it, and it smelled like piss and old wood.

With most of Amy's energy drained and her leg aching, she laid against the edge, her back supported by old wood.

The next time that Amy looked outside, all that she saw were miles and miles of empty green fields. Not one single tree could be seen in the distance.

Amy walked to each side and looked out through every hole in the wood that she could find, no matter how big or small. The sea of grass appeared only thicker, and Amy saw a few mystical beings with supply wagons.

Collapsing against the side of the cart once more, Amy closed her eyes and cried.

"Go on." the black and red mobian hedgehog male said. "Take it."

The black and red mobian hedgehog male shook the bowl slightly, precious broth dripping over the side with his right hand. Amy's heart skipped a beat.

Amy's throat was dry and in only moments after finishing her food she was hungry again. The food before Amy's seemed to sparkle.

The black and red mobian hedgehog male was only half finished.

The cobalt blue Mobian hedgehog male beside the black and red mobian hedgehog male on the right side looked at Amy curiously. Across from the 2 mobian hedgehog males, Amy could feel the eyes of the rest of the company.

Without thinking, Amy grabbed the bowl with her right hand, careful to not spill anything. Using the spoon, Amy carefully took each piece of meat inside and put it in her own bowl. Once Amy had finished and checked to make sure that she had not missed even the tiniest bit of meat, she handed it back to the black and red mobian hedgehog male.

Amy took a large piece of meat into her mouth with her left hand and began to chew. It was easier to ignore the flavor if Amy kept it away from her tongue. In the end, taste didn't matter; all she needed was the food inside her. Anything was better than a rumbling belly.

The black and red Mobian hedgehog male was wide eyed, still staring at his own bowl.

"Well, Shadow." the cobalt blue Mobian hedgehog male said. "I think that means that she's happy to meat you."

The black and red Mobian hedgehog male, Shadow turned red and the other mobian animals laughed.

Shadow pulled his bowl back and continued to eat.

By the time everyone had finished eating, a red squirrel Mobian male wearing a large brown hat offered seconds to anyone interested.

Amy stood up and raced over to the pot and grabbed the largest piece of meat from the very bottom with both of her hands. Stepping away from the pot, Amy bit inside, pulling off chunks of meat. Amy chewed and swallowed what she could, and then spit out the bones. The fat was juicy, and the meat was not as dry as earlier.

The bones littered the ground and it was only when Amy finished and saw them untouched that she realized that Lupe was not going to chew on them.

Once Amy had licked every bit of juice from her fingers, she crushed the bones into the dirt.

The cart shook, giving Amy little chance to sleep. The times that she did, Amy dreamed of what had happened. Everything played out the same, and Amy woke up to find herself in a world somehow not covered in red.

Sometimes, the cart would stop, and some food would get thrown inside. Most of the time, it was a piece of meat, and other times a piece of hard, dry bread. Amy had to touch the bread carefully or risk having it turn to nothing but dusty crumbs in her hands.

They never brought any water, and Amy's throat turned dryer and dryer. Amy's tongue hung limply in her mouth and it took great effort to swallow.

Whatever Amy could not eat immediately, she saved. For hours sometimes Amy would hold a piece of bread or meat, taking small bites until finally she had managed to eat it all. As soon as Amy finished, the cart would stop, mystical beings would chatter, and more food would be thrown inside. The process repeated itself.

Night and day were all the same to Amy. The cart was dark either way and Amy had stopped bothering to look outside. It didn't matter what Amy saw, because it certainly would not be Deerwood Forest.

Sometimes the cart would stop for hours, and all Amy would hear was an occasional wolf pack crying out. Amy's heart would race, and she would only be able to sleep for a few hours at a time.

Those happened rarely however and Amy could not have been more thankful. Those were the times when the cart opened and for a few brief minutes mystical beings would enter inside. One would grab Amy's legs and the other her arms, they scribbled down notes and spoke with each other, surveying nearly every inch of herself. Amy's clothes remained on, though they often would pull up the the sleeves of her tunic and pants to analyze the muscle around it.

New bandages were applied to Amy's legs, and larger food rations came. After a while, they even started to bring water, letting her swallow entire buckets if Amy needed to. If they seemed bothered by the cart's smell, then the mystical beings never showed it.

Once they left, shutting the door behind them, Amy would readjust her sleeves and lie on the ground, staring at the wall. Amy's heart throbbed in her chest, neck, and head. Every breath was a battle.

The worst, however, was when the mystical beings surveyed Amy's quills. Those were the days when Mephiles came with them, and wrapped his hands in Amy's quills. They commented among one another in their native tongue.

Amy froze. The mystic beings had not looked at Amy too differently as other Little Planet animals had, with wide eyes and testy fingers. Before, Amy had been able to fight the Little Planet animals off.

Still, the mystical beings did not look at Amy as some Little Planet animals had. For all his faults, Mephiles had never looked at Amy's quills and his eyes widened and face paled though Amy was not sure if that was even possible for a Mystical Being of his complexion. No Mystical Beings had whispered in quick, scared Little Planet animal-ish, and weakly tried to hide their pointing finger.

No Mystical Beings looked at Amy as though she were Death's mortal incarnation.

Amy no longer wondered why her mother had wished that Amy had gained her mother's complexion and half her quill colors.

...

Night Time.

Sleeping was hard, pebbles dug into Amy's back and she had nothing close to a proper pillow. Mosquitoes and flies hung around, buzzing in Amy's ears and landing on her fur and skin. They sat only for a moment before being crushed, the small bruises and the pain from slapping Amy built up. Sweat rolled down Amy's back and neck, and her throat was again dry.

Still, Amy couldn't help but feel relief at still being awake; it wasn't as if a Little Planet animal needed sleep. Nearly all the others in the company had fallen asleep already, their constant snores had done nothing to help her slumber.

With a sigh, Amy stood up and carefully stepped over everyone. The clearing was small, and everyone was close to one another. Amy abandoned the small blanket that Chuck had loaned her. Amy would have to return it to him in the morning, the small thing did almost nothing for her.

The red echidna Mobian male taking watch, an elderly one named Simon, watched Amy with hawk eyes. Amy looked back to Simon for a moment before stepping over another Mobian animal. Once Amy was at a nearby tree, she sat down and leaned against it and her heart was racing, though she had barely moved.

Taking a few deep breaths, Amy looked up towards the sky. The stars still shone, just like they had the night before Amy had been taken. Even as a child, Amy had looked to them for comfort, often staring up at them intensely for hours.

_..._

_Flashback._

_11 years ago._

_Day Time._

_"You know." Lily said to Amy, scooping the small pink hedgehog girl up into her arms. _

_Amy had leaned her chin up against the taller red hedgehog woman's left shoulder, bits of her soft, red quills landing on Amy's chin. "They will still be here tomorrow."_

_"How do you know?" Amy asked._

_Amy had been young then, so young that she could still remember exactly when she had first seen stars. It had been long, long before anything had gone wrong. Giant spiders had been imaginary monsters, and dragons had not taken to the sky for years._

_"I know because I used to be afraid that they would vanish as well. But do you want to know what I noticed about them?" Lily asked._

_"What?" Amy asked._

_Amy's eyes had fluttered, and a yawn left her lips. _

_Back then, Amy had been weaker than most Little Planet animals, and one of the only children in Deerwood Forest. Little Planet animal children were rare, and it was even rarer for them to grow up beside another Little Planet animal child around their own age. Most others were older, nearly adults._

_"Then I kept seeing them every night. I do believe if they wanted to disappear, then they would have done so by now." Lily said._

_"But what if they do go away?" Amy asked, her voice had shook._

_Lily held Amy tighter. "I promise that they won't go away." she said._

_"How do you know?" Amy asked._

_"Because new ones will always appear." Lily said._

_Flashback Ends._

_..._

Amy had taken the promise to heart, even if her mother had given no proof.

Yet as Amy looked to the sky that night, she knew for sure then that her mother must have been right.

The sky was bright, the stars hung next to a bright white coin, the full moon staring down at Amy. It was so large that it seemed as though Amy could have reached out and grabbed it, kept it for herself.

However, it was the stars that truly caught Amy's eyes. They were sprinkled across the sky, glowing bright, like hundreds of thousands of eyes staring down at Amy. From what Amy could see, there seemed to be even more than when she had been a child. When Amy had been young, she had tried counting them.

Perhaps Amy should have looked out the cart on that fateful day, maybe Amy would have seen 2 new stars in the sky. Amy's chest tightened, and she quickly looked away from the sky. Amy's arms wrapped around herself, a hug that only she could return.

Bugs crawled along the ground. Unlike the flying pests from earlier, they were smart enough to avoid Amy as she watched an any walk towards her boot before promptly changing course, it was holding a crumb high. A few other ants followed after it.

Amy stared at the ground for the longest time, watching bugs scurry past and the ground slowly light up.

...

Morning.

The sun rose, and the Mobians awoke one by one. There were a number of times when Amy felt their eyes on her, though she never looked up and met their eyes. It didn't take long for them to get the hint, and they looked away.

Amy's arms and legs were numb, she hadn't moved in hours, her arms and legs were weak, though her eyes remained firmly open.

"Hungry?" a male voice asked.

The sudden sound made Amy jump, her earlier weakness melted away, and she stood up tall, reaching for her bow with her left hand.

Sonic stiffened. "I'm sorry, I didn't-" he said but was cut off.

"Sonic?" Amy asked.

Sonic's eyes widened. "Yes, Amy?" he asked.

Amy blinked a few times, once her eyes opened again, she saw that it was still the cobalt blue hedgehog Mobian male standing before her.

"I'm sorry." Amy said, her arms went to her sides, her hands empty. "You just scared me."

"I'm sorry." Sonic said.

"No, no, it's not your fault." Amy said, her arms wrapped around her waist once more, and she hugged herself tighter. "I know that you didn't mean to."

"Well then, are you hungry?" Sonic asked, cocked his right thumb back towards the camp. "It was Shadow's turn to help make breakfast porridge today. There's no meat, but I promise that the food isn't that bad."

Amy paused for a moment before nodding.

"Oh, don't look like that. My brother isn't that bad of a cook." Sonic said, grinning. "Come with me. We need to get some now, before everyone else takes the good parts." he turned around, and she followed after him.

The porridge, as promised earlier, actually was not that bad. The moment the bowl was in Amy's hands, all 3 Mobians' eyes were on her.

"Try it." Shadow said.

Tobor merely raised an eyebrow.

As Amy raised the spoon to her lips with her left hand, Sonic stirred his own porridge around in his bowl with his right hand.

"Well?" Shadow asked the moment that Amy swallowed.

"It's good." Amy said.

Amy ate another spoonful with her left hand.

"Good." Sonic said. "That means that it's safe for me to eat!"

Shadow rolled his eyes.

Sonic snickered.

Shadow prepared a bowl for himself.

"Come on." Shadow said. "Let's go sit down."

Shadow, Sonic, and Amy sat down near some trees. The smell of food drifted through the small camp, and Amy watched the other Mobian animals go up and serve themselves breakfast while she ate.

"Amy?" Shadow asked.

"Huh?" Amy asked, looking up from her bowl of porridge.

"Amy." Shadow said repeating, placing his bowl of porridge down with both hands, only half finished.

"Yes, Amy Rose?" Amy asked, her eyes flickered back and forth from the food that she was eating to the 2 hedgehog Mobian males.

Shadow took off his coat underneath was a black shirt and hard, defined muscles, held his coat out to Amy with both hands. "I hope that it's not too big." he said.

With shaking hands, Amy placed her bowl of porridge down and pulled back her cloak with both hands. Amy took the coat from Shadow with both hands and put it on, her arms fit through the sleeves, but they covered her hands by a few inches. It was a little low on her, ending a few inches below her tailbone.

"Thank you." Amy said muttering, wrapping her arms around her waist. "That was so..." she looked down to her lap. "So nice of you." she bit her lip. "Why is it really heavy?"

For a moment, both 2 hedgehog brothers were silent. Sonic was smirking and Shadow was turning red.

Sonic was the first to speak. "He wanted to do something knife for you." he said.

Shadow shook his head. "I, uh..." he said, scratching his right arm with his left arm. "Look in the pockets."

"All of them." Sonic said. "There are a lot."

Amy rolled up the sleeves and reached into a right pocket with her left hand and she froze when she hit something cold. Slowly, Amy wrapped her left hand around something and pulled it out.

The color drained from Amy's face, sunlight gleamed off of the blade, and Amy's left hand began to sweat onto the cold knife's handle.

"If you're worried." Shadow said. "I have a lot more. I can let you borrow some of them."

"Yes!" Sonic said, grinning. "He has a knife in his trousers, too. It might rise up and break through his pants!"

Shadow turned red and quickly covered his face with his hands.

Amy put the knife back in her right pocket with her left hand. Slowly, Amy's hands entered every other pocket that she could find. Most were found through touch rather than sight. There were knives all over Amy.

Shadow spoke again once his face had lost it's flush and once Sonic had stopped laughing. "I'm sorry it doesn't fit." he said.

Amy blinked as her limbs relaxed slightly and she pulled her arms away from her chest. "Why?" she asked.

"Well, I was hoping that it wasn't too big for you." Shadow said.

Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Amy, you're always..." Shadow said but stopped for a moment. "You're always..."

Again, Shadow could not find the words. Instead, Shadow wrapped his arms around his waist and hugged himself.

"You're always doing this. I thought that my coat might help to warm you up." Shadow said.

Amy looked back down at herself as the garment was certainly big on her, but she could understand the gesture. "I'm sorry." she said.

"There's no need to be." Shadow said, shrugging. "I should have known that it was too big as well as I had hoped."

"That is not what I meant." Amy said, looking up.

Shadow's eyes widened and he looked over to his younger brother for a moment.

Sonic simply shrugged.

"I'm not cold." Amy said.

"Oh." Shadow said.

"Then why do you do-" Sonic said but cut himself off.

Shadow's glare was as sharp as the knives in Amy's pockets.

For a long moment, there was complete and utter silence.

Wrapping her cloak around her waist, Amy dug around until she found the knife strapped to her side. It was not nearly as well made as the Mobian-ish blade, and the only one Amy had.

"Thank you." Amy said.

"You're welcome." Shadow said, his eyes remained on the ground.

Amy bit her lip, but spoke on. "You know, I used to keep knives in my boots." she said.

"Really?" Shadow asked.

Sonic's own eyes widened.

Amy nodded.

The boots Amy currently wore were tight fitting, and had been specially commissioned by Mephiles for her, unlike her Little Planet animal-ish boots, there was little chance of hiding anything in them. Still, plans were already running through Amy's minds of ways to modify them.

"I do too." Amy said.

"Really?" Sonic asked.

Shadow nodded. "Oh, yes." he said.

"He would put knives in his quills if he could." Sonic said, chuckling.

"Well you would put arrows in your trousers." Shadow said.

Sonic nodded. "Hey, I could have anything down there!" he said.

Shadow pulled off his boots with both hands and dug around inside. The first knife Shadow pulled from his left boot, and the second from his right with both hands.

"You can never have enough." Shadow said holding right one socked foot up, a hole had formed through the top and he wiggled a clearly visible right big toe. "I need to make sure that this is protected."

Amy's laughter surprised even herself.

Shadow and Sonic both grinned before joining along with Amy. Shadow, Sonic, and Amy's laughter echoed along the camp, and she soon felt the eyes of the rest of the company on her back. However, Amy's muscles only relaxed further as no one's eyes stayed on her for too long, instead turning to look at the 2 hedgehog brothers.

Later, once breakfast had been finished, Amy's mood again dropped. The entire company's did as well however as if they had all together been robbed of something great.

"Walter." Charles said, his voice clear and serious.

Charles's light brown eyes were always cold, and though the wizard was far taller than him, he met the wizard's purple eyes.

"Which way should we head today?" Charles asked.

"We must keep east." Walter said. "From there we should reach Deerwood Forest, and from there Lake Town and the lonely mountain."

Amy froze at the mention of her old home.

"I thought that we were going to walk around the forest." Charles said.

"As of now, Charles the Hedgehog, we are set to walk through it. After all, it has a path inside." Walter said, clutching his staff tighter with his right hand.

A few of the Mobians began to whisper frantically to one another, some in japanese and some in Westron.

"I have heard that the place is cursed." Pachacamac said.

"Who hasn't?" Locke asked.

"No one said that this quest would be easy." Finitevus said. "Still, Deerwood Forest? Even that I cannot stand the idea of."

Amy looked down to the ground, part of her wanted to pull her hood up and cover her face, and part of her wanted to disappear. One was suspicious and the other one was impossible.

"Are you scared?" Shadow asked.

Amy shook her head. "I have faced worse." she said, her arms wrapped around her waist. "No matter which direction we go, we just need to keep moving. I just hope that we start moving soon."

Shadow nodded as his eyes passed below Amy for a few seconds longer, a curious gleam in his eyes. However, Shadow and Sonic said nothing else on the matter.

"Damnable Little Planet animals." another mobian animal said, muttering in spanish.

Amy simply raised her hood.

Shadow and Sonic both looked wide eyed at each other, their mouths hung open. Still, they never said anything.

It is hard, after all, to apologize for a sin one has not committed.

Though they had barely spoken to one another, it was Chuck whom Amy could relate to the most. Chuck too stiffened the most when they mentioned Little Planet animals from the book Amy had seen him reading earlier, it was clearly old and Little Planet animal-ish-the kind filled with songs and poems that were probably older than even Jules. Chuck usually did not keep the book out long, only reading about 1 or 2 songs or poems before putting the book away again where none could see it.

Once, Chuck had seen Amy watching him read his face paled, but she simply smiled back.

It was not a secret that begged to be taken from Amy's lips.

The day's walk had been long and all of Amy's body ached, yet she still could not sleep. Part of Amy did not want to, the stars were especially bright that night and part of her just wanted to admire her knives.

Amy tore off her coat with both hands and set it up on her lap, the sleeves dipping down her sides. Amy searched everywhere, until she was sure that she had discovered every single knife.

Amy grinned as she held up each one it was true, the makings of Mobians truly were the best. The edges of the knives reflected off the dim firelight and the light of the moon above.

It was only in the arena where Amy had been given unlimited knives. Outside of the bloody sporting arena, the mystical beings had stripped Amy of all but one knife, if she were out hunting with Mephiles then she would have a rather good one, but only 1. Even her arrows had been specifically numbered, and Mephiles had made sure to always count before they left.

If the mystical beings saw Amy now.

Amy held each one in her hands, letting herself grow accustomed to them. Some were incredibly sharp, while others were longer. Each one was different, but it never took Amy long to think of a good use for them.

Amy's face reflected back on her from the edge she had not looked at herself in a long time. Some older facial scars had healed, returning to smooth, soft skin. Amy's quills were longer and messier if she ever got the chance, she would absolutely need to wash it.

Still, if Amy looked at her reflection she knew that it was her looking back. From the tips of her pointed ears to the sharp curve of her nose, Amy knew exactly who she was.

Shadow had not been lying, there were knives everywhere. Amy counted a total of 34 in Shadow's coat alone. Considering his younger brother's words, Shadow still likely had far more hidden away.

...

Night Time.

That night, Shadow had watch duty after Locke. Putting her new coat back on, Amy walked over to the tree that Shadow had recently sat down by.

"Thank you." Amy said.

"Oh, it was nothing. I am just glad that it helps." Shadow said.

They sat together for a while, Amy's eyes on the star dotted sky above and Shadow's eyes on the camp. Eventually though, Shadow's yawns got the better of him and he fell asleep again.

Amy put up her hood and prepared her bow with her left hand, waking someone else up would be pointless.

Though her muscles were tense, and Amy took note of every noise in camp on that night everyone was safe.

_..._

_Flashback._

_A few weeks ago._

_Night Time._

_The first time that Amy felt a knife in her hand again, after weeks of traveling alone in the cart, was also when the mystical beings had lowered her food ration. The meat had become smaller and smaller, and eventually all they had started to give Amy were small pieces of dry bread._

_"Are you hungry?" Mephiles asked. _

_Mephiles stood at the entrance of the cart, Amy sitting at the far end._

_Amy wrapped her arms around her waist tighter and she shook her head, meeting Mephiles's eyes._

_Amy's stomach however was empty, a weight that she could feel in her chest. If Amy ever dreamed, she saw her family, friends, and feasts. Beneath the stars, all Deerwood Forest Little Planet animals would eat and drink together. Amy saw meats of all kind, freshly grown vegetables, and sweet red wine all sitting before her. They were as real as any dream could make them until Amy woke up back in the cart empty handed._

_Mephiles threw the knife to Amy with his right hand, it landed only a few inches away from her and clattered against the floor._

_For a moment, Amy only stared at it wide eyed. That had been one of Amy's knives. Instinctively, her left hand shot to cover the front of her of her left boot, while her right hand reached forward and wrapped around the knife's hilt._

_"You can come out and eat." Mephiles said._

_Though there was a distance between them, Amy could easily see Mephiles's facial scars._

_Amy swallowed the lump in her throat and walked forward. Amy's stomach ached and she knew that she would not be able to refuse._

_Not unless Amy wanted to starve._

_Amy held the knife tightly, her right hand against the wall. Amy's legs shook as she walked, unused to moving like this._

_Mephiles helped her out, his eyes on her hand._

_"There is more than enough to go around tonight." He smiled, showing off sharp, yellow teeth. "Feel free to eat your fill."_

_Amy did not meet his eyes. Her stomach rumbled, and the smell of cooking meat made her mouth water._

_Mephiles sat next to Amy on left side, his eyes on her lap._

_Amy merely clutched her knife tighter with her left hand._

_There was no point in fighting, not now. Not when the eyes of every Mystical Beings in camp were on Amy._

_Once Mephiles and Amy were served their night's meal, a very large piece of meat with 2 slices of thick, dry bread, Amy immediately began to eat. Amy dropped her knife in her lap and covered the hole between her crossed legs with her plate._

_The meat was hot and juicy, and cooked well enough that it was not too hard or burnt. Blood dripped down Amy's chin and onto her fingers, but she licked it up._

_The meat was salty to Amy's tongue, making her wonder for a moment just how it had been cooked. What animal was it as well? The thoughts, however, were fleeting. Why worry about them when Amy could eat?_

_Amy's meat was soon gone, leaving only bones. Amy had picked every bit of meat and fat off of the bones as she could, until they were so white and naked that one would have thought a vulture had picked it clean._

_Amy moved onto her bread and it was a little better than what they normally gave her. It was easier to swallow, and Amy found herself biting off more and more the longer that she ate, even if her mouth was already full. One slice of bread was finished, and soon replaced by another._

_The whole in Amy's belly just could not be filled. By the time Amy's plate had been licked clean, an emptiness still filled her insides._

_Sometime while Amy had eaten, someone had placed down a cup of water for her. Amy picked it up with her left hand, brought the cold metal to her lips, and finished it all in a in 10 gulps. Though not the coldest of water, it was sweet and soothing to Amy's otherwise dry throat._

_It took longer for Mephiles to finish. Amy held the plate with her right hand, while her left hand was between her legs, wrapped around her knife._

_Amy almost wanted to risk it and attempt killing Mephiles._

_Almost._

_Mephiles's eyes never left Amy's, though hers left his. Once Amy's food was gone, her heart raced._

_Finally, Mephiles himself finished his food and gave his bones to his wolf pack. Mephiles dropped his plate to the ground, the object releasing a sudden clank that made Amy wince and hold her knife tighter with her left hand. Mephiles chuckled, his shadow covering Amy's sitting form completely._

_"Did you enjoy your dinner?" Mephiles asked._

_Amy clutched her knife even tighter with her left hand._

_"I asked." Mephiles said. "If you enjoyed your dinner."_

_Amy bit her lip for a moment and she turned her head up to face Mephiles. "Yes, I did." she said._

_Mephiles smirked. "My guess was correct then. You ate as a starving wolf pack would." he said._

_A few other mystical beings chuckled, but stopped at Mephiles's heated glare._

_"Now then." Mephiles said, his eyes returning to meet Amy's. "How do you plan to pay for it?"_

_For a moment, the pain in Amy's belly subsided. All Amy could hear was her racing heart._

_"Pay for it?" Amy asked._

_"Dear, surely you should know that nothing in life truly comes free." Mephiles said leaning down, getting on his right knee. Still, Mephiles was taller than Amy. "Now, tell me, how shall you pay?"_

_"With an ear!" one of the Mystical Being said, yelling._

_"No, a finger!" another of the Mystical Beings said._

_At the time, it had been only Mystical Beings speech to Amy, a bunch of confusing words in another language._

_Still, all the heat had left Amy's body._

_Mephiles, however, had a different idea and he barked out in order quickly in Mystical Beings tongue, and various mystical beings headed forward, all of their eyes set in one on the middle. It was covered in diets and scars, and openly glared at everyone._

_"What you see before you." Mephiles said. "Is a pest. An overgrown fly, in fact. He needs to be eradicated." _

_Mephiles motioned towards Amy. _

_"That is where you come in. You are to get rid of him for me. It would be meat for meat, you could say." Mephiles said._

_Amy's stomach twisted. "Had I eaten-?" she thought._

_"I gave you meat, and you give meat to the wolf pack." Mephiles said._

_Amy relaxed, if only slightly. It had to have been something that the mystical beings caught on a hunt that Amy ate earlier. After all, they likely would have just tasted plain awful._

_"Go on." Mephiles said. "The wolf pack are hungry, being meat for our dogs is the only good thing this traitor will ever do."_

_Amy nodded._

_"Then he will pay for his crimes and you will pay for your food." Mephiles said._

_The mystical beings circled around Mephiles and Amy, trapping both inside a wall of mystical beings. Most looked excited._

_The Mystical Being Amy had to fight had no weapons, though Mephiles raised his fists._

_There was no official starting point. The circle simply formed, the hold on Mephiles's arms were released and he was pushed forward, and then they were before each other. Without warning, Amy jumped forward and struck just above Mephiles's left eye. Mephiles missed punching Amy with his right hand and his left hand was at his forehead. He groaned out, the sound echoing through the small area._

_The mystical beings yelled for Amy to continue, Mephiles being one of the loudest. They had only seen 1 small stream of blood._

_This time, the Mystical Being attempted to strike first. Mephiles's aim was off, as his left hand covered his left eye, and Amy easily could dodge any of his strikes. With Amy's legs finally moving again, rushes of adrenaline fueled her, making her go faster and faster._

_The next strike was in Mephiles's right arm. Amy dug in deep, and then just as quickly pulled her knife out with her left hand. Blood squirted all over Mephiles, and Amy's own knife was wet and red._

_Mephiles removed his left hand from his left eye, and began to strike with his right arm. That was Amy's next target, as she again sunk her knife in deeply to Mephiles with her left hand._

_Mephiles's cries made Amy's head ache, and part of her desperately wanted to stop fighting and cover her ears, but she knew that was impossible. Amy needed to get this done with._

_Using all her strength, Amy pushed Mephiles back, her knife still in his right arm. Amy placed a left booted foot on Mephiles's chest and leaned down and pulled her knife out with his left arm._

_Mephiles's right arm still worked, and he grabbed for Amy's quills._

_Amy heard Mephiles cry out in anger._

_Amy stabbed her knife in the Mystical Being's right hand with her left hand, and he released her. Stepping fully on top of Mephiles, Amy reached down and stuck her knife as far as she could into the Mystical Being's neck with her left hand. For good measures, Amy pulled it out and stabbed Mephiles in his head with her left hand as well. It was better safe than sorry._

_Amy stood over Mephiles, watching him suffer._

_Then, it was over and everyone was clapping and cheering._

_..._

_1 hour later._

_Mephiles gave Amy extra food and water that night and had her checked by healers outside of the cart. No wounds were found, and no damage had been done to Amy's scalp._

_Mephiles was the one to lead Amy back to the cart, a grin on his face. By then, Mephiles had taken Amy's knife away, and her left hand felt empty._

_When Amy went inside, Mephiles followed after her. The cart creaked beneath Mephiles's weight, yet wielded to him._

_Sitting down at the farthest corner, Mephiles pulled Amy in his lap with both hands and placed his face in her quills._

_In that moment, Amy almost wished that the fight had not been so easy and that the wolf pack had not gotten meat so quickly. Amy would have much rather been out there fighting than trapped in the arms of the Mystical Being. There was nothing more terrifying than being held by a monster._

_"You never did tell me your name." Mephiles said._

_Amy froze._

_"What is it, Little Planet hedgehog?" Mephiles asked._

_For a moment, Amy considered lying. Then again, what point was there in it? What could they use against Amy?_

_"Amy Rose." Amy said._

_"What a pretty name." Mephiles said, chuckling. "Considering how you are beautiful, little warrior, you truly are a beloved pink rose."_

_Goosebumps ran up Amy's arms and legs. _

_"How do you know its meaning?" Amy asked._

_Mephiles chuckled. "Mystical beings can be educated as well, dear Amy." he said._

_Amy shivered._

_For the longest time, Mephiles's eyes roamed over Amy's body. Sometimes, Mephiles's hands would follow along after them. Mephiles stared at Amy intensely to the point where she almost thought that he was jealous._

_"But of what? Surely no one would truly want to be with me." Amy thought._

_..._

_33 minutes later._

_When Mephiles finally left, Amy curled up into a ball, trying to get every part of herself together. Then, it was only Amy's fur, skin, and clothes against herself, no mystical beings or any other strangers._

_Amy never noticed when the tears started and she was surprised that they were able to be stopped._

_Flashback Ends._

_..._

In the 2, 5, 10, 15 years that Amy had been gone, the world had changed. Amy still stepped on the earth lightly, her bow raised with her left hand and ears alert for any noise. The problem was that now there were a lot more noises to attend to.

The world was darker now, and more and more things shot out of the ground. Even in daylight, trees blocked out the sun, though Amy had eaten breakfast shortly before, it felt as if dusk were already falling.

They were not even in Deerwood Forest yet the name sent chills up Amy's spine. If others were still calling it that, then surely the forest did not reflect its first name or former glory.

"Well." Walter said. "We should be headed in the right direction."

"Just great." Finitevus said, muttering. "We are one step closer to Deerwood Forest."

Amy stiffened.

"Actually, Master Finitevus." Walter said. "We are not headed straight for Deerwood Forest."

"And why is that?" Charles asked.

"We are stopping to take a rest at the home of an ally of mine." Charles said.

"Who would live out near here?" Finitevus asked.

"Someone with different tastes than you, Master Mobius." Finitevus said.

The group headed on. Amy had no idea who this ally was, but stopping to rest at a house sounded nice. For one thing, it would make the day end much earlier than if they walked on forever until finally someone suggested to set down camp.

"Where do you think we are going?" Sonic asked.

"I have no idea." Amy said.

"Shadow?" Sonic asked.

"I do not know either, but I hope that it has good food and somewhere warm to sleep." Shadow said, stepping forward. "Really, that is all I need."

As the group headed onwards, Amy began to relax. The mysterious house was getting closer, and the pain in Amy's feet was getting easier to ignore.

Along the way, Shadow and Sonic told a few jokes. Most flew over Amy's head and she did not hide that fact, giving Shadow and Sonic confused looks, but a few made her laugh. Amy's mind filled with images of warm soup and fluffy, freshly baked bread, and delicious, well cooked meat of all kinds, chicken, beef, and lamb. All sounded delicious, and Amy's mouth watered at the very thought.

Amy's thoughts were what gave her one second longer to prepare. The howls broke Amy's train of thought, and for a moment she stood still as a statue.

The howls only increased, and Amy could hear the sound of hooves trampling. They were lighter than that of horse hooves, but still easy to hear, especially as they got closer.

"Mystical beings!" Walter said. "Follow after me, quickly! The house is close!"

Amy raced forward, putting her hood up. Amy's heart raced and her bow was in her hands. Amy could feel the weight of the knives as she ran, every single one of them.

_"Just keep running."_ Amy thought. _"Keep running and no one will fight, and we will be safe in the wizard's ally's house."_

Amy's heart raced.

But who was this ally? How did Walter know that they were protected? Amy had seen mystical beings break into hundreds of thousands of homes before, not caring who they hurt or what damage they caused.

Shadow and Sonic and a few other Mobians were behind Amy. Constantly, Amy looked over shoulders, only relaxing in just the slightest way when she saw that they were all fine. The mystical beings were visible, but specs. None were close enough to start a fight, and hopefully none had recognized Amy.

Once Amy was done checking up on them, she picked up her pace.

Once the house came into view, Amy's heart only raced faster. What protection could that place actually give? Amy sensed no magical spell over it, Walter had not even said that the place was owned by a magic user.

Amy's heart, however stopped racing once she saw the feral brown bear. It ran forward, jaw clenched and eyes wide. It let out a piercing growl that made Amy's heart skip a beat, the sound echoed through her ears.

Amy looked over her left shoulder and watched the great beast run past. The mystical beings turned and fled every last one of them.

The other Mobian animals had noticed as well. Shadow and Sonic raced forward, until they were at Amy's sides, Shadow on the left and and Sonic on the right.

"Tell me that I was not the only one who saw that." Shadow said. "Sonic? Amy?"

"I saw it!" Sonic said, grinning from ear to ear. "Who knew that mystical beings were afraid of feral bears? We could probably all kill one if we tried."

"I don't eat bear." Amy said. "Nor do I want its skin, especially when a feral bear just saved ours."

Sonic's eyes widened. "Did you just make a joke?" he said, grinning.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Come on, we need to get inside." she said.

The doors were wide open, a few other Mobian animals and Walter behind it.

Once inside, Amy went completely still for a moment. The mystical beings had retreated, and a great feral bear was chasing them away. It was certainly large for a feral bear, and even more wild than most.

_"Could it be?"_ Amy thought.

Amy shook her head. There was no time to think of it. The entire company was working together to close the large front door, and Amy put all her muscle into it. Amy needed to keep the mystical beings out and away from her.

"Keep pushing." Amy said.

"Go on." Walter said.

Once the door was closed, Amy let out a sigh of relief and stepped away from the door. It had closed with a great thunk, and the heavy wooden lock was in place.

"Master Walter?" Pachacamac asked, looking around the house. "Where is this ally of yours? I only see farm animals."

It was true; the place was larger than it looked from the outside, and filled with a number of animals. Most had seemed to take no notice of the newly arrived guests. The house was mainly made of wood, and had a large collection of crates and barrels inside.

"Our ally, a skin changer chameleon named Espio." Walter said. "Is currently outside chasing after the mystical beings."

Amy sat down in the furthest corner of the skin changer chameleon's home, landing in soft, sweet smelling straw. Few animals hung around this spot, and she was a good deal away from the door while being close to a window that she could easily climb through. Slowly, she removed her red hood and attached cape and let it fall into the hay. Once it was off, the coat that Shadow had loaned Amy was completely visible. Amy removed it as well, though she did grab a few of the knives inside and place them among her belt.

Underneath were dirty, grey Mystical Beings clothes that Mephiles had commissioned for Amy. They were just Amy's size, but seemed wrong on her body the longer that she looked at them. Part of Amy wanted to rip off her shirt, pants, and boots, but she knew that she could not. There was nothing else that Amy had to wear.

Still, it would be nice to wear something not made by mystical beings again.

Without thinking, Amy pulled the coat back on and she relaxed the moment it reached her arms, despite its heavy weight.

Amy carefully folded the hood and placed it under her arms before standing again. It was only then that Amy noticed the 2 hedgehog brothers approaching her.

"Is something the matter?" Shadow asked.

Shadow placed his supplies down with both hands.

Sonic followed after Shadow.

Shadow and Sonic even put down their weapons.

Amy shook her head. "I just never expected to come here." she said then bit her lip for a moment, looking away from both Shadow and Sonic.

The words were on Amy's tongue, and it would take only seconds to let them free. Surely Shadow and Sonic would find out anyway.

For a moment, Amy stiffened. Why had Charles and his company been so silent about Amy's past? Why hadn't there been an onslaught of questions upon Amy? Why hadn't they picked her apart until they knew Amy better than she did? Could they really have trusted Amy solely because she asked if Mephiles was dead?

Amy stepped forward, her voice a low whisper. "Can I tell you 2 something? Just you two?" she asked.

Shadow and Sonic both nodded.

"I used to know Espio." Amy said.

For a moment, Shadow and Sonic didn't say anything, only looked at each other for a moment.

"I knew him, back when the mystical beings..." Amy said.

The word sounded wrong on Amy's tongue and she turned silent.

_"What have I been thinking?"_ Amy thought, her arms mechanically wrapped around her waist, and she looked to the ground.

If Espio didn't defeat the mystical beings or drive them away then Amy was a sitting duck. The mystical beings could take down the door, break inside, and kill all the Mobian animals and capture Amy again. They had certainly faced harder situations before. It was a miracle that Espio was even still alive, and another miracle in and of itself that she (possibly) could see him again.

That was if the mystical beings didn't kill him first, like they had wanted to all those years before.

Her legs weakened below her. Oh, they really were in danger. Amy wasn't sure if she had the strength to run if she needed to. Besides, where would Amy go? Was there any place that Amy could actually hide?

Amy didn't even notice her legs caving in, or feel the impact of hitting the floor.

If only because Amy was grabbed before she could fall as 2 sets of arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Amy, are you sick?" Sonic asked, eyes wide. "Did something happen-"

"The mystical beings are going to come." Amy said.

Images flashed in Amy's mind of the mystical beings on wolf pack back and holding their weapons, ready to strike and lusting for blood.

"They're going to come and rip through everything, through everyone, and then I'll be captured again. And Mephiles will-" Amy said but was cut off.

"Rose!" Shadow said.

Shadow motioned for the him, Sonic, and Amy to sit down, backs against the wall. Hay spilled out onto Amy's lap.

Shadow and Sonic leaned forward, wrapping around Amy in a hug with Shadow on her left side and Sonic on her right side.

"Rose." Shadow said.

Shadow spoke with earnest, capturing both Amy's attention and his younger brother's attention.

"If the mystical beings come, we will fight." Shadow said, tightening his arms around Amy for a moment. "I promise."

Slowly, Amy removed her arms from her waist and wrapped her left arm around Shadow and her right arm around Sonic and it was strange, hugging others and being hugged back instead of just hugging herself. No one had showed Amy this kind of attention since she was a child, since her parents were alive and she lived with her friend's and family in Deerwood Forest.

The tears came in an instant in Amy's eyes.

"Amy." Sonic said, his voice shaking. "Do you need something?"

Amy shook her head. "I don't want you 2 to die. I don't want anyone in the company to die. You have been so kind to me. You don't deserve to be ripped through, not for being nice to me and helping me and not for being Mobodoon." she said.

Shadow and Sonic both stiffened.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Mephiles doesn't just want your uncle dead, but you two as well. You are Charles's nephew's, correct?" Amy asked.

Shadow and Sonic both nodded.

Even before they had interacted, Amy had heard Shadow and Sonic call Charles their uncle. Still, Shadow and Sonic had been joking around at the time. Surely that had just been another joke.

Amy's chest tightened. "He wants your heads too." she said.

Quickly, Amy removed her arms from Shadow and Sonic and wrapped them around herself once more.

If Mephiles knew that Shadow and Sonic had touched he would make their last moments the most painful in their short lives.

And if Mephiles knew that Amy had willingly touched Shadow and Sonic, he would seriously kill them.

"Please." Amy said whispering, looking back down to her lap. "Please grab your weapons and give me some time alone. I don't want to get you 2 hurt."

For a moment, Amy's eyes looked over to both Shadow and Sonic's faces. Shadow and Sonic made Amy clutch her own waist tighter.

"I'm sorry." Amy said. "But you 2 are my friends, and I don't want either of you getting hurt because of it."

For a moment, Shadow and Sonic squeezed Amy tighter and then pulled away.

"We'll be back." Shadow said as he reached down to pick up his swords with both hands.

Shadow reached his right hand towards the front of his pants and pulled out a large knife. "Until then, we have protection. See?" he questioned.

Amy nodded.

"Don't worry about it, Amy." Sonic said grinning, though Amy had no idea how. "If the mystical beings do come, we won't go down without a fight."

Sonic held his bow up higher with his right hand. "I promise that I won't die." he said.

Shadow nodded and held out his left hand.

Amy carefully took it with her right hand.

Shadow's grip was firm as he shook hands with Amy, as the people of men did.

"I promise too." Sonic said.

Once Amy's right hand was free, she leaned further against the wall until her back ached. Shadow and Sonic moved on into another part of the home, leaving Amy alone. Amy grabbed her own bow with her left hand and cradled it to her chest, her right hand clutching a sharp metal arrow.

It started out with criminals. Even mystical beings had wrongdoers, those who stole or cheated or simply upset someone above them. Amy took quick looks at the bow and arrow, letting the faces blur but remembering the weak spots. Amy was the one who always struck first and made sure every blow counted.

The mystical beings fell so easily the criminals were weak, mere shells of what those above them were. Fighting them made her wonder how they could be related to Mephiles or Infinite. By the time it was over, Amy's arms and weapons usually needed to be thoroughly washed, lest they be stained.

Once Amy had a Mystical Being down, the others would cheer. Above the cage that both Amy and the criminal had been pushed in, on goers would watch with wide, hungry eyes. Bets were made and meat was eaten of what, Amy did not know.

Most days Amy only had 1 or 2 criminals to fight. Nothing too hard, and what usually made Amy just barely break out a sweat. Other days, the arena would send in criminal after criminal. Amy's skin would turn red and her breathing rapid, and the floor would be wet as well, staining her boots. The longer that Amy fought, the more that the mystical beings cheered. And then another criminal would be sent out, and Amy would have to get rid of it, often by pulling out arrows from the corpses of her past victims.

Most of those criminals looked at Amy with fear. A few tried to fight, but Amy was faster and was always given good meals after the fighting ended. The sick, skinny beasts before Amy were lambs before a wolf.

Eventually, the supply of criminals would run out for the day, and Amy would be led out. A number of the mystical beings who came to Amy stuffed food and coins into her hands, while others begged for a souvenir. Wordlessly, Amy would send them away with one of her arrows.

The mystical beings would lead Amy to Mephiles, and Mephiles would lead her to a hot bath and a feast.

Amy would spend hours in the bath if needed to wash herself off. Dried blood was pulled from Amy's quills and skin and floated in the water around her. Wash cloths ran over Amy's quills and skin, and she used up every cleaning item that she possibly could. Once Amy was out, she would dry herself off and check over her body one more time.

The food was grand, meats and bread and cheeses and well seasoned vegetables. When Amy finished one plate, she was given another. Cups would be refilled in moments. Desserts came afterwards, and no matter how much Amy had eaten before, she always found more room in her stomach. Sweet cakes and berry filled pies were easily swallowed, along with cookies and honey covered sweet bread. Amy could eat and eat and eat, and everything would be worth it.

"Amy?" a male voice asked.

Amy looked up. "Oh." she said, looking over the large brown echidna Mobian before her.

Quickly, Amy searched her mind for a name.

"Is something wrong, Remington?" Amy asked.

Remington pointed over towards the table with his right index finger. "Shadow and Sonic asked me to come get you. They say dinner is ready, and tonight's meal will actually be edible. Chuck cooked tonight." he said, chuckling.

Amy returned it with a small smile. "May I ask you something, Master Mobius?" she asked.

Remington nodded. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

Amy shook her head and stood up, stretching out her limbs.

_"How long had she been sitting, lost in thought?"_ Amy thought. "Has Espio returned yet?" she asked.

"No." Remington said.

"Oh." Amy said, sniffing at the air. "What is for dinner?"

"Bread and beef stew, with honey cakes for dessert." Remington said, motioning Amy to follow him. "I heard that it will be wonderful."

...

3 minutes later.

Once at the dinner table, which was rather long for a man who seemed to live alone, Amy was served her plate by Chuck the Hedgehog himself. The hedgehog scientist's arms and the front of his shirt were covered in flour, and he was instructing everyone on where to sit.

"Oh, Amy." Chuck said, noticing where Amy was. "I was actually going to sit there, with Charles next to me. You would not mind moving, would you?"

Amy merely stood up and grabbed her bow from where it sat on the table with her left hand and moved. The plate before Amy had been untouched.

"I apologize." Amy said.

"Oh, nothing is your fault. Please feel free to sit beside Remington." Chuck said.

Amy sat down once more, placing her bow down by the scribe's brand new war hammer and her eyes hovered over it for a moment.

"A gift from Master Finitevus." Remington said.

Amy nodded. "It certainly looks sturdy." she said.

Remington nodded.

Amy was again served a plate and she picked up her spoon with her left hand and prepared to try the stew, when Chuck came back. This time, however, Chuck was herding 2 hedgehog brothers to the empty seats on Amy's right.

"Trying to eat all my dessert early." Chuck said, his arms were crossed over his chest. "Wait until your uncle hears about this."

"We weren't going to eat them all." Sonic said.

"You still have crumbs on your muzzle!" Chuck said.

Shadow and Sonic rolled their eyes before sitting down. Sonic placed his bow down next to Amy's with his right hand, it was so much larger in comparison.

Sonic looked down to Amy and grinned as his hands were underneath the table and he reached under and put something in her lap.

After taking a spoonful of Amy's stew, she put her hands in her lap and discovered 2 warm desserts.

"One's for Remington." Sonic said, whispering.

Amy reached over and dropped it in the scribe's lap. When Remington raised an eyebrow, she moved her head back so he could see Sonic.

One by one, Amy tore the cake apart and put the pieces in her mouth when no one else was looking. That wasn't hard considering everyone else was happily caught up in their own meals.

The stew and bread was also good. She was one of the first to finish, and one of the first in line for seconds.

By the time Amy had finished her main course, honey cakes were being passed out and Amy's stomach was rumbling again. Amy swallowed 4 more and then wiped sticky honey off of her face with a cloth napkin with her right hand then, it was all drowned out with a medium sized cup of milk.

Once that was over and the plates, bowls, and eating utensils were literally thrown to the sink, Amy went back to her corner.

"Did you have to do that again?" Chuck asked from the kitchen.

Amy had no idea whom or what Chuck was referring to.

...

Night Time.

Amy's corner was quiet and dark and apart of her was ready to curl up and go to sleep, but another part of her kept her awake. Absently, Amy counted out her arrows, using moonlight as her only light source.

Amy stopped when something fell on her, covering both her and her arrows.

"Sorry!" Sonic said.

Amy pulled the blanket off of her with both hands to reveal a red faced Sonic.

"I should have just handed it to you, shouldn't I?" Sonic asked.

Amy nodded.

Shadow was near Sonic on the left side, setting up his own place to sleep with both hands.

"I apologize again for earlier." Amy said, strapping her quiver back to her back. "I truly am sorry."

"You already told us." Shadow said. "We forgive you."

"You were just nervous." Sonic said, sitting down and wrapped his own blanket around himself. "Sorry again about the blanket."

"It's fine." Amy said, wrapping the blanket around herself with both hands.

Shadow and Sonic were close, though the corner was still Amy's. The 2 hedgehog brothers slept side by side with Shadow on the left side and Sonic on the right side, as if fighting off chills together.

"Th-thank you." Amy said.

"We just don't want you to get cold." Shadow said, sitting up.

...

Somewhere Else.

Lupe again lay still, her meat nearly untouched. Only hours before, Lupe had been racing forward frantically, her nose to the ground.

"She's close." Mephiles said.

Lupe's tail moved slightly, though the rest of her remained still.

_"The wolf pack was certainly smart."_ Mephiles thought, realizing.

Smarter than most. Most would have judged the beast to be only a regular bear and would have tried to fight it had their Mystical Being masters not made them retreat.

"He cannot patrol the area forever." Mephiles said reaching his right hand out to pet Lupe, but she pulled herself away.

Once Lupe was a few feet away from Mephiles, she laid down again and curled up into a ball. Eventually, the wolf pack closed their eyes.

_..._

_Dream._

_Day Time._

_Amy could only remember bits and pieces of her dream and she knew that there had been a forest, tall and dark and green. The trees' leaves were green, as was the grass and ivy. Flowers dotted the area, large ones with purple or blue petals, their stems and leaves were a deep, dark green. When Amy leaned down to pick one up, her left hand turned slightly green just by touching it, staining her skin. Still, Amy smiled and held the flowers to her nose, breathing in their fresh smell._

_The forest was dark, but bits of light broke in through the shadows. Spots of light dotted the area, little pieces of the sun that the forest's leaves could not keep in the sky. Judging by what Amy could see through the branches, the time was around noon and the sun was high. A light breeze ran through Amy's quills, sending it flying in all directions._

_This forest was not Deerwood Forest, but it still felt like home. The few animals that passed Amy by had seemed unfazed by her, even with the large bow on her back._

_Amy walked on, each footstep careful. Trees surrounded Amy in all directions, until she could not remember where her starting point was. No matter where Amy went, the trees did not thin in any direction._

_Bugs passed her by, buzzing happily or crawling across the ground. It was hard to catch a glimpse of the tiny creatures, but Amy knew that they were there._

_Time had moved like it always did in dreams strangely. One moment, light was seeping down through the trees, and in the next moment the shadows were deepening._

_Amy turned her head towards the tree tops and looked to the sky through the trees' branches. As always, the stars shone brightly, ever out of Amy's reach. Try as Amy might, she could not touch them, even if she wanted to._

_Even dreams had their limits._

_Amy stood still, ignoring the sound of bugs and the snapping of twigs. All that mattered were the ever resilient stars, shining on even as the world below them fell apart and then the dream had ended._

_Dream Ends._

_..._

Tomorrow.

Morning.

Why Amy had woken up, she did not know. Still, Amy had been awake and sitting up for a good few minutes. Sleep evaded Amy, and her eyes remained open. Moment by moment, Amy's eyes adjusted to the dark, revealing bugs far larger than the ones in her dream. They, like the Mobian animals, were all sleeping.

Amy wrapped her blanket around her tighter with both hands and then surveyed the room. Other than the sound of snoring and a few animal noises, there was nothing to hear.

Shadow and Sonic were both asleep, though Sonic's blanket had nearly rolled completely off of him. It now only covered a small fraction off of Sonic. Amy quickly leaned forward and laid it back over Sonic with both hands. Considering the accidental fuss Sonic had made over a blanket, it seemed only fair that Amy worry about him being cold as well.

Amy leaned back against the wall and stared off at the night. The shadows danced before Amy, but she had long since learned how to entertain their press ensue without fear. Shapes formed from the lack of light, and Amy tried to assign names and images to them like she sometimes did for clouds.

The large, dark figure that entered the house, however, was not a shadow. That Amy knew with certainty, as the animal figure looked onto her.

"Espio." Amy said, though she doubted that Espio had actually heard her.

From what little Amy could see of Espio, he actually looked much healthier like he had eaten more and his muscles showed, rather than retreating into his body like they had back when the mystical beings had him.

Part of Amy wanted to race up to Espio and embrace him, but another part of herself kept her body firmly planted on the hay and wood. Espio turned around and headed further into his home.

Amy's blanket remained still in her lap, never once disturbed.

Sunlight had spilled onto Shadow's crimson red eyes, though most of the room was still dark. Espio's home was a strange, large place. The furniture alone made Shadow feel small, the animals even more so. The large bee in front of him was humongous. Until the bee flew away, Shadow's eyes never left it.

Once it was gone, Shadow felt safe enough to look over to his younger brother. Sonic was still asleep, snoring softly. Reaching forward, Shadow placed his blanket over his younger brother with both hands, careful to not wake him.

Sonic did not stir. Rather, Sonic slept on, his chest rising and falling steadily.

Only when Shadow was sure that his younger brother was fine did he dare to look away from him as his eyes soon met with Amy's sleeping figure. Amy's pink quills spilled out across the hay, and the blanket Sonic had given her the night before was still wrapped around her. Though Amy's quiver was still on her back and she was cuddling her bow in her sleep like a child would a stuffed toy, she looked to be at peace.

Walking as softly as he could, Shadow headed towards Amy's corner. Once he was there, Shadow got on his knees and reached towards Amy's blanket with both hands. It had gotten crumpled in the night, so Shadow straightened it and made sure no part of Amy's body except for her head was left untouched by the blanket's warmth.

Amy's jade green eyes shot open and locked on him. For a moment, Amy looked ready to move.

"Shadow?" Amy said, blinking a few times. "What are you doing, Shadow?"

"I was only checking up on you and Sonic." Shadow said.

"Is something wrong with him?" Amy asked.

Shadow shook his head.

"The mystical beings-" Amy said but was cut off.

"Are not here. Espio is protecting us." Shadow said patting Amy's left shoulder with his right hand softly and then pulled the blanket up a little more.

"If we are not in any danger, then why do you look after us?" Amy asked.

"Because that's my job." Shadow said, chuckling. "If anyone around here is supposed to worry, then they are me."

Shadow placed his right hand down on top of Amy's head though a blanket covered her, he could still feel her own warmth from under it.

Amy looked away from Shadow. "Thank you." she said.

"You may go back to sleep, Rose. This place is safe." Shadow said.

"Safe..." Amy said her eyes looked hollow for a moment.

Shadow felt Amy's body stiffen from where he was touching her.

"Everything will be fine." Shadow said, smiling. "Sonic and I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"Really?" Amy asked.

"Really." Shadow said.

Amy had shut her eyes, though she did not feel the least bit tired. Warmth had filled Amy's eyes ever since Shadow had spoken with her. Though Shadow was gone, and Amy listened to him leave, Amy knew when she opened her eyes he would still be there. Sonic would as well.

For a moment, Amy thought back to the few times that Shadow and Sonic had touched her. Shadow and Sonic always did it gently on Amy's upper body, or gave her hugs. The 2 hedgehog brothers were so warm and welcoming, so different from Mephiles.

Amy's eyes burst open. Espio's home was exactly as Amy had last seen it. Sonic still snored on, still wrapped up in 2 blankets, and the rest of the company that she could see did the same.

_"Do not think about him."_ Amy thought. _"Listen to Shadow, he is right this place is safe."_

Espio was a bear of a chameleon even when he took the form of a man and camouflage. Espio stood tall, towering over Shadow by a few good feet and his eyes were steely, judging over everything.

Espio was also the only other person awake.

"Shall we prepare breakfast?" Espio asked as his voice was gruff, and his eyes returned to the sleeping company.

Shadow nodded.

Espio began to dig around in high kitchen cabinets that Shadow could never dream of reaching. Espio had one bag of food after another ether only thing more impressive than it was Chuck's pantry. Shadow, however, doubted that Espio would allow his pantry to be emptied and his plates be thrown in front of him.

"I see that you came with Walter." Espio said.

Shadow nodded.

"I had heard of him, but never met him. I cannot say that he is quite what I expected of a wizard." He placed down a large bag of flour." Espio said.

"I like him more than the rumors and stories describe him." Shadow said.

Espio raised an eyebrow but did not question Shadow further on the subject of the wizard. "How many of there are you here? I need to know how much food to make." he asked.

Again, Espio returned to his cabinets and began to dig around.

"16." Shadow said. "13 Mobians, 1 scientist, 1 wizard, and 1 Little Planet hedgehog."

Espio's eyes widened. "A Little Planet hedgehog? I thought Mobians hated Little Planet animals." he asked.

"Most do. Still, a few I have met are quite agreeable, especially her." Shadow said.

"Her? Do you speak of your company's 16th member?" Espio asked.

"Yes, yes I do." Shadow said.

Shadow's eyes looked back, though it was impossible to see either Sonic or Amy from where he stood. "Her name is Amy Rose, and she is the finest Little Planet hedgehog that either my brother or I have ever met." she said.

"Amy Rose?" Espio asked, stepping back.

"She said-" Shadow said but was cut off.

Espio cut Shadow off and judging by his face, Shadow doubted that he had even listened to his 2 words.

"Do you speak of the Mystical Beings slave girl, Amy Rose? The one with quills of pink roses, and a burning fighting style to match?" Espio asked as his face paled, yet his eyes softened. "Is that the Amy Rose that you speak of?"

Shadow froze, 3 of Espio's words ringing through his mind.

Mystical Beings slave girl.

What Espio had described fit Amy perfectly.

Amy had never said much about her time with the mystical beings as she had wept in joy on the guardian mountain once her confusion had ended and she had regained her balance. Whenever the name of the creatures was brought up Amy would tense. Shadow's coat never seemed to leave Amy now that she had it.

Still, though Shadow knew it was true, it felt so strange to have the words spoken out loud directly like that. There were no puzzle pieces to put together, or words to say in whispers.

Then again, Shadow doubted that a man in shackles would willingly censor himself.

"Yes." Shadow said. "That is Rose, our Rose."

...

15 minutes later.

The criminals had been easy kills. Amy knew her weapons well, and was used to the feel of an arrow or knife or sword. Even as a young hedgehog, Amy had been no stranger to the workings of weapons though she had not heeded her parents words on just how important they were.

The Mystical Beings criminals rarely had weapons, having to rely solely on their body for the fight. It was hard to call the fights fair, but mystical beings were not the kind to have even playing fields. It was only in the arena that Amy had power.

When Amy entered, she had her weapons with her and was ready to fight. Amy's heart raced and a light coating of sweat fell down her neck, yet she remained strong. The Mystical Being had to be stopped, and Amy could not do that if she let her worry consume her.

The only way to fight Amy's fear that she would slip up and be killed by a Mystical Beings criminal was to beat them first. When Amy left the arena, her clothing was covered in blood and her earlier energy drained. Sweat poured off of Amy in cups, until she was sure all of Forest Hill could smell her. Sometimes Amy's stomach would rumble, and she would be glad for her upcoming feast, and other times she would feel ready to vomit, even if she had not been fed in hours.

The fights were all the same despite Amy's secret fears, none of the mystical beings had the power to stand against her. Each Mystical Beings criminal fell to the ground and lied in its own blood, before Amy left the arena and its body to rot.

Then they brought in the skin changing chameleons.

Amy had heard of them as a child, though she had never seen one before. Most were strong, but weakened by the mystical beings. Bruises covered many, and they too grew used to hunger.

At first, Amy did not fight them. Amy merely watched from below, with Mephiles's right arm wrapped firmly around her waist.

Sickening was the only word that Amy could use to describe it. Whether the skin changing chameleons took the form of men in chains or animals, their misery was apparent, and the mystical beings were all the more excited for it.

By the side of Mephiles, Amy watched the skin changing chameleon's fight. A thin wolf attacked a Little Planet hedgehog, and was so hungry that that the wolf ate the creature. When they turned back into a man, they still had blood around their mouths. The cheers of the mystical beings afterwards rang through her ears.

Then one day, Amy went into the arena to see not a Mystical Beings criminal, but a large, dark furred bear.

...

5 minutes later.

When she entered the kitchen, Amy felt eyes on her. Amy stiffened, only slightly comforted by the weight of her weapons.

Espio, Shadow, and a few of the other company members stared at Amy.

"He did not lie." Shadow said.

Amy looked up. It really was Espio.

"How did you live?" Espio asked.

Espio was older, now with even more scars and even broader shoulders. Still, Espio's life of freedom had softened his expression, and for the first time ever Amy saw him smile. Other than that, Espio's chameleon form was exactly as Amy's last remembered it.

Amy did not reply, simply walked forward and put her hand against his. Amy's eyes widened, as if she had expected her hand to pass through a ghost.

...

Espio had certainly made himself a nice little home. Amy had wiped the hay from her clothes and enjoyed a hardy breakfast, it was certainly the best meal that she had eaten in a good long while. She had seconds, which Espio was more than happy to give her.

The whole place was made of wood and stone. From the walls and floors to the homemade furniture, it had a lived in quality that could not be replicated. The entire house, or at least Amy supposed, was made by Espio's own 2 hands.

Back when Espio had escaped, Amy had merely imagined him running from the mystical beings forever, or worse being caught. Still, Amy doubted the mystical beings would look forever for Espio, and he didn't seem like the type who could run forever. Perhaps Espio had seen the land and simply taken a liking to it taken little and made a lot.

Or, perhaps, the place had been sitting abandoned for a while. It was a lonely little place, and probably was the only house around for miles. Little Planet animals and men lived to the east and men, Mobians, Little Planet animals, and scientists lived to the west past the mountains. Here was Espio's place.

Still, Amy couldn't shake away the feeling that Espio wasn't alone, not really. A chess set sat on a small table, its wooden pieces moved as if someone had been playing. Perhaps it had been 2 members of the company, but that wouldn't explain why Espio had it in the first place. A game like that took 2 players. Amy highly doubted Espio played with his sheep or horses.

The long wooden table too had many chairs for a man who lived all alone. When they had arrived, there had been enough to seat the entire company, including Walter and Amy herself, and still leave a spot at the end for Espio.

The large food supply she could at least understand. If Espio did ever travel out east to buy food, it was likely that he got enough to last months, perhaps even years.

However, with the company around, Amy was sure that one of those trips east would have to come sooner rather than later. Amy had only eaten seconds some of the company had managed to eat fourths. Knowing them, once lunch rolled around they would surely be hungry again.

"Amy?" Espio asked.

"Espio?" Amy asked, looking up to Espio.

"What troubles you?" Espio asked as his mouth was set in a frown but his eyes were soft. "Are you thinking of the mystical beings?" his eyes hardened at the word and his frown turned into a scowl. "They are not here, and they will never come. If I have to fight them, then I will. I would do anything to keep this land safe."

Amy shook her head. "I wasn't thinking of them." she said.

Espio sighed. "Good, very good." he said, placing his warm right hand on Amy's left shoulder and squeezed it. "You have nothing to worry about."

Amy's eyes wondered to a nearby window on the left side and she watched a few figures run by. They moved too quickly for Amy to identify which Mobians that they were, but she did hear them make a few quick, high pitched shouts. Others replied, and they began to laugh.

"Why did you not send me outside with the others?" Amy asked, her eyes locked with Espio's. "Why did you ask me after breakfast to stay here?"

And stay there Amy had. After putting up her plate, Amy sat back down at her chair and waited for Espio. The rest of the company had slowly left outside to look at the horses, bows, and the rest of the supplies that Espio had offered them. They were going to stay a few more days, but Charles had wished to look over his newly given wares and plan.

_..._

_Flashback._

_"Mount Splatterhorn is close." Charles said earlier that morning. _

_Charles's mouth had been set in a firm, serious line. _

_"The mountains in the distance draw ever closer. Mobodoon's day too is drawing close, and we soon must set off. Still, we also cannot leave unprepared. The road to the mountain is still harsh." Charles said._

_Flashback Ends._

_..._

Amy had seen the mountains herself on the guardian mountain. They had seemed magical, the entire company had been fascinated, and Amy was not free from its spell.

"I wished to speak alone with you." Espio said, his right hand away from Amy's left shoulder and used it to pull up a wooden chair.

Its legs creaked as they moved across the cold stone floor.

Espio sat down. "I have many questions, and I was sure asking them in front of the others would bother you." he said.

Amy nodded. "I see." she said.

Espio looked across Amy, searching her up and down as she had her cloak on, though the hood was down, and her bow in her hands.

"Your clothes and bow are of Mystical Beings-ish make." Espio said as his face hardened. "I have skins and furs. Take as many as you need, and wash yourself. The first time that I had the chance, I cleaned myself from top to bottom. It felt wondrous." his eyes softened for a moment, and though they were set on Amy, she doubted that he was seeing her. "I cannot describe the wonder of being free and clean." he looked back to Amy, his gaze hardening on her bow. "That vile thing is not even good for scrap wood. When you are cleaned and changed, you may go outside and train with the others. A new bow will be waiting."

Amy nodded. "Thank you." she said.

"I could never repay you." Espio said, standing up. "Come, you must get new clothes." reaching over with his right hand and pulled the bow from her left hand.

Once it was gone, Amy's arms relaxed as she had never realized what a weight it was. Amy also pulled the quiver from her back with her right hand and handed it to Espio. "I made the bows outside myself. Wood is plentiful, and I assure you that I have good handiwork."

Espio led Amy to the small area upstairs. There were three small rooms, most with nothing but a small bed in it. Only one, a rather long one that had not been made, looked as though it had been slept in. At the end, there was a small storage area. Wooden boards creaked as the 2 animals walked if one looked at it from the outside, they would never realize that there was a second story.

Espio dug through boxes. Opening a chest, Espio revealed whole piles of cleaned clothes, tunics, and even some leathers. Opening another, there were boots of many sizes and styles some looking rather simple, and others looking rather hard or having fur inside.

"Ever since I first arrived here, I have learned to make many things." Espio said, gestured towards the items. "Take anything that you might need."

Amy dug around, searching through the items with both hands. Most clothing was far too large for Amy, and others probably could only fit Chuck and the other mobian animals.

"Who did you make these for?" Amy asked, holding up a black undershirt up.

It was thick and well made, and looked as though it could fit Amy.

"Very few things look to be your size." Amy said.

"You." Espio said.

"Huh?" Amy asked.

"I made them for you. Before you came, they were for no one, these were simply made to pass the time and practice making items. Now, however, anything that you like is yours." Espio said.

"They are for no one else? But what about others?" Amy asked.

"Do you mean the company?" Espio asked.

Amy shook her head. "Your table had so many chairs. You have guests perhaps, an extended family?" she asked.

"No." Espio said his small smile faded, his normal frown returning. "I do not have guests. There is only me and my animals." he looked to the ground. "I can fill my home with items easily, all I need is more fur and wood. Guests? Good ones are hard to come by, and I trust few strangers."

"Oh. I apologize for asking." Amy said.

"You have done no wrong, Amy." Espio said.

Amy removed her cloak with both hands and handed it to Espio then she removed the coat Shadow had given her.

"Did the mystical beings make that?" Espio asked.

Amy shook her head. "It was given to me by a friend in the company. I will need it later." she said, removing it and carefully folded it up with both hands.

As Amy leaned down to place it on the ground, a knife fell out. It made a thud as it hit the ground.

Espio's eyes widened.

Amy put the knife back into the coat with her right hand and then placed it on the ground. "He gave me the coat for warmth, and the knives are for protection." she said.

Espio nodded. "You have a good friend." he said, stepping away from Amy. "I shall go and prepare your bath. While I do that, I shall leave you in privacy. Again, feel free to take whatever you like." he pointed towards one of the 2 small rooms with unused beds. "Put whatever you like in one of those rooms. Tonight, you will sleep up here."

"I understand." Amy said.

"And Amy?" Espio asked.

"Yes?" Amy asked.

Espio's eyes tightened on Amy. "I have many questions to ask you later, but for now I only have one. When the company leaves, shall you stay here with me?" he asked.

Espio had said that he lived alone, he never said that he was happy about it.

Before Amy could reply, Espio turned away from her.

"I must be off. Think over your answer." Espio said.

...

Day Time.

Sonic stiffened as a bee buzzed past him. Even with his bow in his hands and new arrows in the quiver on his back, Sonic felt helpless around the large bees. Already, Locke had been stung, and he had all but started weeping from pain.

Once it was gone, Sonic looked back to his older brother.

"Still having trouble learning how to shoot?" Sonic asked.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with me." he said.

"You would think that having me as a brother and looking at Amy so long would teach you how to hold a bow correctly. Really, Shadow." Sonic said.

Shadow's face soured, and Sonic could only laugh.

Shadow looked down to his hands and moved the bow, changing it to where he was holding it correctly. It looked strange in Shadow's hands.

"We should practice." Sonic said, pulling an arrow from his quiver with his right hand and handed it to Shadow then he grabbed another for himself.

Espio's arrows were lighter than Mobians made ones but the metal ends were just as sharp.

"How about a challenge? The most to hit that tree in the distance gets to do the other's night watches." Sonic asked.

Shadow groaned. "As if I would fall for that. Mother taught me not to accept challenges I couldn't win." his said, lowering his bow. "I get it, Sonic, you're the family archer."

Shadow looked back to it and then frowned and he dropped the bow to the ground with his right hand and reached for the swords on his back. "I will take the bow, it was quite courteous of Master Espio to give them to us. Still, I have my swords and knives, and I intend to use them."

"Well don't you at least want to practice?" Sonic asked.

"Maybe later. For now, I'll just practice with my swords." Shadow said.

Sonic pouted. "If Amy offered to teach you then you would fill the tree with arrows." he said.

"Well if there was a chance that Rose could teach you then you would pretend that you had never picked up a bow in your life." Shadow said, chuckling.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "I speak the truth. Besides, I'm not going to lose any chances at getting some sleep just you can prove how much better you are than me at archery." he said.

"I still think that you should try shooting a few arrows. I do believe that Master Espio wouldn't have given them to us if he learned that only one Mobian could actually shoot." Shadow said.

"Fine." Shadow said, sighing and picked up the bow with his left hand. "Let's pray to Solaris that I actually hit the tree."

"Remember when we were younger and you first tried shooting with me?" Sonic asked, laughing.

Shadow in his younger years had a straggly excuse for a muzzle, had been thin and lanky, had a high voice that often squeaked, and couldn't hold a bow to save his life.

"I tried to forget that for a reason." Shadow said.

"Oh, it couldn't have been that bad." Sonic said.

"When I was younger, I was absolutely mortified. I was afraid to show my face to the other children in the village." Shadow said, preparing his bow. "And if I do remember correctly you didn't let me live it down."

"Fine, maybe it was that bad." Sonic said, laughing.

Shadow merely released his arrow.

The arrow hit the target.

The hedgehog brothers' eyes widened.

"You hit it." Sonic said.

"I did." Shadow said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Time really has changed you." Sonic said, smirking and raised an eyebrow. "Now do you feel like taking up my challenge?"

"Maybe, brother, just maybe." Shadow said, pulling another arrow from the quiver on his back with his left hand.

"Well maybe that was just beginner's luck. For all you know, every shot after this you could miss." Sonic said.

"Maybe so, Sonic." Shadow said.

...

Espio was right and it felt wonderful to be clean. This was nothing like the public Mystical Beings baths, nor the private bath Mephiles owned. It was a large metal tub filled with half warm water. Espio had left Amy alone with various handmade soaps and washcloths. By the tub sat some of Amy's new clothes, a dark red tunic, white, gloves, long black pants, a towel, and a pair of red boots.

Amy dunked her head below the water, letting it cover her completely. The day was rather warm, so the water was a relief.

Grabbing some soap and a washcloth, Amy began to scrub at her skin with her left hand. For a while, all Amy could do was remove every bit of dirt that she saw and she scrubbed it from her body and from under her fingernails. There was dirt on Amy's face and dirt on her legs and between her toes. Dirt was in Amy's fur and quills, from its ends to her scalp.

Amy scrubbed herself, even after the dirt was gone. If Amy was to be completely honest, she smelled absolutely awful. The only reason that no one else in the company had pointed it out was because they smelled just as had if not even worse.

Amy scrubbed and scrubbed, until her skin, fur, and quills was completely dirt free and all she could smell on her was the heavy scent of Espio's homemade soap.

It was easy to almost forget Amy's troubles completely. Almost.

How was Amy supposed to answer Espio's question?

Amy scrubbed harder with her left hand, but Espio's voice repeated the question in her mind. Amy's face reflected to her back in the water, and even closing her eyes could not help her escape the image of herself.

Espio wanted an answer, and both yes and no seemed wrong.

When Amy got out, she dried herself off and changed, but could only partially dry her quills. It was dark with water, and Amy's towel was already wet.

_"Oh well."_ Amy thought. _"The day is warm."_

...

2 hours later.

"Shadow, you can shoot?" Sonic asked.

Shadow just about dropped the bow from his hands.

"Sorry for startling you." Sonic said.

Shadow quickly regained his composure. "Sorry, I was just focused. And yes, I can shoot." he asked.

"He's just not as good as me." Sonic said, grinning.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "And you probably aren't as good as Rose." he said.

"You're right, I'm probably not." Sonic said.

Well, that wasn't what Shadow has expected to come out of his younger brother's mouth.

Amy laughed. "I'm sure that you two are great." she said.

Sonic grinned and his eyes softened as he looked ready to kiss Amy's feet if she asked.

"Amy." Shadow said, squinting his eyes. He had to make sure that what he saw was correct. "Why are your quills wet?"

"I took a bath." Amy said, raising an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, of course not." Shadow said, lowering his eyes.

"But aren't you going to braid it?" Sonic asked.

It was as if Sonic had read Shadow's mind and decided to voice his thoughts.

"Braid it?" Amy asked.

"Mobians always braid quills right after it's wet." Sonic said, looking over to Shadow and raised an eyebrow.

Sonic shot Shadow a quick grin. "That's when it's easiest." he said.

"I mean, that is if you want us to since you are a Little Planet hedgehog. If you don't feel comfortable with it..." Shadow said.

"No, you 2 may." Amy said, pulling up an end and rolled it between her hands. "It is fine with me. Besides, I don't want all of this flying in my face."

"Well, then let's go inside and get started." Sonic said, surely wouldn't pass this offer up.

_"Well."_ Shadow thought. _"Uncle Charles has tried to braid Chuck's quills before. If he can do that then surely we can do this. Besides, Amy trusts us."_

Once inside, Amy sat down in a chair and from left to right, Shadow and Sonic got to work.

For a moment, the 2 hedgehog brothers ran their fingers through Amy's quills. It was so long and soft, softer than Shadow had originally imagined. It smelled nice as well, and for a moment all Shadow wanted was to hold his nose close to it and to run his fingers through it. Sonic's eyes were locked on it, and Shadow had to nudge him to keep him from falling spellbound by it. Amy wanted Shadow and Sonic to braid it, not look at it.

Shadow and Sonic started to braid. It was easy to work together when there was so much quills. It was nearly to the backs of Amy's knees.

"I've never seen a Little Planet hedgehog with pink quills besides you, Amy." Sonic said.

Amy stiffened.

Shadow bit his lip, stilling for a moment as Amy soft pink quills was in his hands.

Sonic seemed to have not noticed, and looked ready to make another comment.

Shadow was right, though. The few Little Planet animals that lived near the Mount Stormtop had every natural shade except pink, as did the Hill Top Village Little Planet animals.

"It is quite beautiful." Shadow said forcing a smile and then motioned for his younger brother to shush.

Shadow almost considered asking why it was so long, but stopped himself. Already, one risky question had been asked. For all Shadow knew, the mystical beings rarely ever allowed quills to be cut. There was no point in reopening one of Amy's old wounds.

"As are your new clothes. Where did you get them?" Shadow asked.

"Espio gave them to me." Amy said.

Amy's tone was light, and from what little Shadow could see of her face, she was smiling again.

"You still have my coat, don't you?" Shadow asked.

"I wouldn't give it up. I don't want to get cold." Amy said.

"We wouldn't want you to get cold either." Shadow said, smiling.

The 2 hedgehog brothers continued braiding. The one long braid was of Mobians style, and held together tightly.

Sonic had managed to fit a spare black cuff in Amy's quills, and Shadow put one his spare metal clasps on it at the end. A few members of the company would raise an eyebrow at it, but Amy surely wouldn't mind them there if she trusted Shadow and Sonic to braid her quills.

Shadow stepped away and admired it. It was beautiful and practical, and certainly an honor to get to do it.

"Do you like it?" Shadow asked.

Amy nodded. "I can't see it, but it feels fine." she said then stood up and suddenly hugged Shadow and Sonic. "Thank you both so much."

"You're welcome." Sonic said, wrapping his right arm around Amy's waist.

Shadow wrapped his left arm around Amy's waist.

A throat cleared, and Amy broke the hug.

"Amy. I see that your bath is finished." Espio said.

"Espio, it was just as wonderful as you had said. I feel so clean, so free of mystical beings." Amy said, her shoulders tensed and her lips tightened.

Amy's eyes darted from Shadow and Sonic.

Shadow quickly put his right hand on Sonic's left shoulder. "Come with me, Sonic, we have an archery competition to get to. I think that luck is on my side and I'll win." he said.

"As if. Sorry, but I have to go, Amy. I need to prove a point to Shadow." Sonic said.

"Says the future loser." Shadow said.

"Now you're just talking about yourself." Sonic said.

Shadow and Sonic quickly gathered their things and left the home.

Even with what might as well have been a party around her, Amy could barely keep her smile glued on.

Amy stared down at her cup of milk.

...

15 minutes later.

"Feel like eating a little more, my Rosy the Rascal?" Espio asked, patting Amy's on the right shoulder with his left hand. "I have more than enough sweet honey cakes for you."

"I suppose that another wouldn't hurt." Amy said.

They were sweet, warm, and sticky. Amy had already finished off one plate of them that night along with the rest of her dinner.

"Rosy the Rascal?" Sonic asked, laughing.

"Yes." Espio said, voice sharp.

The look on Sonic's face almost made Amy laugh.

Amy supposed that 'Rosy the Rascal' was better than 'little pinky'. Chuck had hardly seemed pleased with the nickname, and Amy could see why. Rabbits were prey, at least birds hunted and could fly away from their enemies.

"Sorry, Master Espio." Sonic said.

Espio stood up and went off to get more honey cakes.

Amy looked back to her milk.

"Amy, what's wrong?" Sonic asked.

"Did something happen today?" Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow.

Amy couldn't muster up the strength to look up at either Shadow and Sonic. "I'm just tired. After this, I'm going to bed." she said.

"What? But Amy, it isn't even that late!" Sonic asked.

"I've had a long day, Sonic." Amy said, sighing.

Espio returned with a plate of warm honey cakes. For a moment, Espio and Amy's eyes met as his earlier question rang through their mind.

"Thank you, Espio." Amy said, quickly took the plate from his hands and lost in Amy's eyes to the pile of small yellow cakes. Amy grabbed one and ate half of it in careful time.

Espio patted Amy on the right shoulder with his left hand and then walked away.

Amy stuffed the last half and another in her mouth, swallowed a bit of milk and then stood up.

"Good night." Sonic said, frowning.

Shadow nodded. "Go on and rest. You must need it." he said.

Amy pushed the still full plate towards Shadow and Sonic with both hands. "Sleep well." she said, walking towards the stairs.

"Amy!" Sonic said, having to raise his voice to get over the sounds of the rest of the room.

Amy quickly ran back over to the Shadow and Sonic, darting past a few other Mobians. "What?" she asked.

"Aren't you going to your corner? We had it all ready for you." Sonic asked as his eyes were wide and his frown made Amy's heart ache.

"Espio gave me a room upstairs." Amy said, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, Sonic."

"Oh." He stood up suddenly. "How about I go get you your blanket?"

Amy nodded.

Sonic's face brightened and Amy was able to muster up a small smile in return.

Sonic left towards the hay.

"Shadow, the coat you gave me is upstairs." Amy said.

"Do you like it?" Shadow asked.

"I love it." Amy said.

Shadow beamed as well. "Then it's worth going without it." he said.

Sonic returned with the blanket. The moment Amy took the blanket from Sonic, Amy quickly hurried upstairs and pulled off everything but her underclothes, a lavender nightgown and dark grey pants.

The blanket Sonic had given Amy was warm, as was the bed and blankets that Espio had provided. The noise downstairs was surprisingly hard to hear, and Amy's small room was dark. Amy could just barely make out the shape of the coat Shadow gave her folded on the floor.

Sleep was a dream in and of itself. Espio's words echoed through Amy's mind, and every time she closed her eyes she saw him. Even for such a large, hard muscled chameleon male, the heavy frown on Espio's face could easily bring Amy to tears.

If Amy left, all of Espio's chairs and beds would be empty except for 1. No one would play chess with Espio and all he would have for companions would be animals. All that afternoon, Espio had listened to Amy recount what had happened. When Amy had cried, Espio had held her close and soothed her. If anyone would understand, then it would be Espio.

Shadow and Sonic flashed through Amy's mind as well as they had been so kind to her. Amy's left hand reached and felt her braid carefully. It had yet to come undone, even after the long day. Even from the beginning Shadow and Sonic had been polite to Amy and tried to help her out. Shadow and Sonic would surely look even sadder than when they were at the dinner table if Amy told them that she would not be returning.

Charles's words echoed through Amy's mind. Charles wanted his home back so desperately, and he had willingly looked past that Amy was a Little Planet hedgehog just so he could say he had another member of his company ready to fight Mist Dragon.

For the first time in a long time, Amy's thoughts were on anything but mystical beings and Mephiles especially Mephiles, that didn't, however, make her thoughts any easier or help her to relax.

* * *

End of Chapter 1.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Please Review.

No Flames.

...

Everyone in their usual outfits.

...

Espio's House.

Tomorrow.

Morning.

Out of all the places that Shadow had ended up sleeping at during his uncle's quest, he had to say that Espio's house was his favorite spot. For one thing, it wasn't out in the open, where someone had to waste a few hours keeping watch. Keeping watch might as well have been torture considering how the company already had such little time to sleep. Espio's house also had a roof and walls that kept animals and the wind out, not to mention a pile of soft hay and blankets to sleep on, it wasn't the best, but it was far better than the hard ground Shadow slept on most nights. And, unlike Hill Top Village, Shadow's uncle wasn't constantly complaining.

A warm, safe place like this was hard to come by. Shadow couldn't help but frown and take one last look around the home. In only a few short hours, Shadow and the rest of the company would be back on the road.

Though the sun still had yet to rise, Shadow's eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Shadow took in as much as he could, until whenever he closed his eyes he could still see the house.

Opening Shadow eyes once more, his gaze turned towards the staircase in the corner. It was empty, the only things on it being shadows and dust.

_"Rose."_ Shadow thought, guessing.

Amy was still asleep like Sonic. Shadow could see Amy in his mind, curled up and hugging herself underneath a blanket, her eyes shut and a small smile on her lips.

_"It was funny, in a sad sort of way."_ Shadow thought.

All this time Shadow had hoped to be able to rest somewhere and finally catch some sleep, and yet he always seemed to be the first to wake at Espio's. Shadow had woken up like the day before, to darkness, the sound of a dozen snoring Mobian animals and a hedgehog scientist, and to the warm feel of his younger brother beside him, huddling close to him for warmth and protection like he had done as a child.

Rubbing at his eyes with his right hand, Shadow looked down to the wooden table below him. Whatever had made Shadow wake up couldn't be undone or changed. After a while of trying to go back to sleep, Shadow had simply stood up and left while being careful not to wake anyone, especially Sonic, up.

Surveying the cracks in the table, Shadow let his mind wonder to what would happen later. Already Shadow could see the other Mobian animals awaken, and hear them move about as they prepared for their day. Uncle Charles would be the grumpiest of all and would probably start barking off orders. Perhaps Walter would help out, or perhaps not. There was no telling with that wizard. Shadow could see the table filled with food and hear the Mobian animals chattering around him, most not even bothering to finish chewing before they spoke.

Besides Walter, the only other person that faded in and out of Shadow's mind was Amy. Every few moments, Shadow's eyes would wonder from the table's hard wood to the shadowy stairs, almost as if he expected the pink Little Planet hedgehog to be standing at the bottom step waiting for him.

In one moment, Amy was sitting beside Shadow and Sonic, eating breakfast and discussing their plans for the next day. In the next moment, Shadow could hear Amy saying goodbye. Even if Shadow was only imagining it, he could still see the hurt look on Sonic's face, and watch as his own mind struggled to think of a response.

Shadow's daydreams continued on for a while before he finally stood up. With careful steps, Shadow walked over to the window. Though there was still no sign of the sun, the sky had lightened from a pitch black to a shade of violet. In the distance, past the wall that surrounded Espio's home, Shadow could see a line of trees. They were thin, dark silhouettes against the night sky, looking like ink lines that had been drawn reaching for the sky. Between them were darker blobs that moved every few moments, Shadow had to blink a few times, but it didn't take long for him to figure out just what he was seeing.

Behind a stone gate, a heavy wooden door, and four hard walls, Shadow watched the large, dark figures of Mystical Beings move about. It was hard to see all of them, but there was no doubt in Shadow's mind of what he saw.

Even with the distance between him and the beasts, Shadow's heart still raced.

...

5 minutes later.

Sonic leaned down, grabbing the blankets from the floor with both hands. They were right where Sonic had left them that morning, wadded up on the floor next to a few of his things. Though Locke not been outside all day, save for breakfast time, Sonic still checked to see if anything was missing. It was a habit of Sonic's, though most of the company did the same. Once the company left a place, they never went back, no matter what was left behind. Chuck had learned that the hard way when he had to use a torn piece of Vector's old clothing for a handkerchief.

Digging through his small pouch, Sonic checked to make sure that everything was in order. There were the small snacks Sonic was taking for the road, and next to them was his small spare knife, along with a needle and some thread in case he ever had need to sew his clothing back together. It had been a small precaution given to Sonic by his mother right before he and his older brother had left.

It hit Sonic like a bolt of lightning.

First, Sonic reached inside of his pockets. Unlike his older brother, Sonic didn't have a million pockets sewn inside of his coat, so there were few spots where his stone could have ended up. Considering the fact that Sonic couldn't feel the necklace's familiar weight anywhere, it wasn't surprising that he could not find it in his coat. However, Sonic could not consider it comforting either.

Next, Sonic pulled his pouch open again and rifled through it with both hands, searching for any place that the stone could be. It had to be somewhere close by. After all, Sonic had it when the company had first arrived at Espio's.

Dropping his blanket and pouch to the ground, Sonic got on his knees and frantically dug through the hay.

_"Necklace."_ Sonic thought reminding himself, didn't just vanish into thin air.

Surely if Sonic kept looking then he would find it.

But how much time did Sonic really have? Everyone else was preparing to leave, and Uncle Charles, a Chuck, and Walter were already outside planning where to go and what to do.

Sonic bit his lip. It had to be around there somewhere.

"Sonic?" a female voice asked.

The voice startled Sonic just as he was in the middle of pulling up a large pile of hay. Letting it fall back down, Sonic looked up.

When on his knees, Amy towered over Sonic, becoming tall. Amy looked down at Sonic with wide, curious eyes, though there was a glint of concern in them.

"Sonic, what's wrong?" Amy asked.

For a moment Sonic was silent, unsure of what would be considered a proper response.

"Well." Sonic said, his eyes returning to the hay below him. "I lost something."

"You did?" Amy asked.

Before Sonic could respond, Amy was down on her hands and knees and digging through the hay. Amy wore Shadow's coat and the braid that the brothers had given her was still in her quills.

"It's a necklace." Sonic said. "A necklace that my mother gave me."

At Sonic's last few words, Amy stiffened for a moment before continuing her search with a sharp gleam in her eyes. Amy's hands moved faster, moving past the hay until at one point she reached the dark dirt below.

Sonic continued himself, moving over to another spot and continuing his search with urgency. When each spot yielded nothing, Sonic moved to another. Disappointment was hard to swallow, but Sonic preferred it to the idea of leaving Espio's without it. Would the chameleon male just find it a few years down the road and wonder what the curious little trinket was? What would Sonic's mother say when she found out that he had broken his promise?

"It was a little gift from my mother." Sonic said, as if to fill the silence.

Sonic wiped sweat from his brow with his right hand before he continued searching. "She gave it to me before the quest, telling me that I needed to return it to her once the quest was done." he said, pausing for a moment.

When Amy did not reply, Sonic continued on.

"It was a way of reminding me of my promise to come back home to her." Sonic said.

"Is this it?" Amy asked quickly after Sonic had explained the object's significance.

In Amy's hands was a dark green stone attached to a brown leather with unmistakable words on it.

Sonic grinned, right before he grabbed it from Amy's hands with his right hand Wrapping it tightly in his right fist, Sonic used his left arm to pull Amy into a hug. For a moment, Amy was still but then returned the hug, holding Sonic tightly.

"I can't thank you enough, Amy. If I had lost this..." Sonic said looking over Amy's right shoulder.

Sonic made his right fist into his right hand and looked at the all too familiar writing carved into the necklace.

...

Day Time.

"Mother gave me one too." Shadow said, pulling out a necklace and it was identical to Sonic's except it was dark red and and had different writings, from the small leather pouch attached to his right side with his right hand.

Amy, in her usual outfit, eyed it and reached out and touched it with the tips of her left fingers as Shadow held it closer to her.

Unlike Sonic's, Shadow's stone was smoother and rounder, slightly heavier, and had more words carved onto it in neatly scripted japanese. It was also a shiny dark red color.

"You would think that she would give him a knife instead." Sonic said.

Amy laughed.

Sonic couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.

Once Amy stopped laughing, her face changed and her eyes went blank and her lips formed a straight line.

"You will keep your promises to your mother, won't you?" Amy asked.

"Of course! When Mom is angry." Sonic said. "She's scarier than a Mist Dragon."

Amy's face didn't so much as change to give Sonic a small smile. There was something in Amy's eyes, something that Sonic had seen some nights when she had sat alone hugging herself.

Shadow noticed looked unsure of what to say as his crimson red eyes darted from the necklace in his right hand to Amy, though he never met her jade green eyes.

"You know." Shadow said.

Shadow paused and swallowed the lump in his throat and then spoke a bit louder.

"I was told something interesting about this necklace by my mother. Apparently, whoever reads it and isn't a Mobius is said to be cursed." Shadow said.

Amy stiffened.

Shadow narrowed his eyes and frowned.

Sonic quickly looked away from Shadow.

"I, of course, think that's nonsense." Sonic said, careful to keep the tone of his voice light. "Why would someone be cursed for reading a necklace? It's too superstitious for someone as level headed as myself."

Though Amy's face remained the same and Shadow snorted.

Shadow's face softened and he placed his left hand on Amy's right shoulder.

"He was just joking." Shadow said.

After a moment, Amy's head moved in a jerky nod, like a puppet being pulled on strings. Amy's eyes never met with either Shadow nor Sonic.

"It's not like you could probably read it, anyway." Shadow said, laughing. "Unless you learned japanese somehow."

"No." Amy said after a few moments, her voice was low and monotone. "I have no idea what those necklaces read."

If there really was a curse, Amy supposed as the 2 hedgehog brothers pocketed their necklaces for safe keeping, she doubted that it could do much for her.

It wasn't as if Amy didn't already have a trail of bad luck and missed chances, not to mention so many wasted years.

Shadow and Sonic smiled down at Amy.

Amy could only try and smile back, her teeth moving in ways that made her lips ache.

_..._

_Flashback._

_10 years ago._

_Amy had first seen the flowing Mobius script in her father's papers. Back then, Amy had been young and Mount Splatterhorn had belonged to the Mobians. Letters were sent, and sometimes a few Mobians would forget to write in Little Planet animal-ish or spanish._

_Whenever that happened Amy's father, James would tend to ask for her mother for advice. As captain of the Deerwood Forest guard, Amy couldn't offer much help and usually new letters had to be written. Correspondences could take even longer, and all because of a few words written in ways that no Little Planet animal could read._

_Amy would read those letters some time. Though Amy enjoyed her lessons learning the spanish and Little Planet animal-ish letters, there was something beautiful to the Mobius script._

_"Did you figure anything out?" James asked, pulling his 9 year old daughter up into his lap with both hands._

_Amy shook her head. "No." she said._

_"Neither did I." James said with a chuckle. "Though I was hoping that you could translate this letter for me."_

_The next time that Amy had seen it was in Forest Hill. Though the place stank of Mystical Beings, there was no denying that it was once a beautiful Mobius homeland. From the paintings on the wall to the elaborate furniture, to the carvings and design of the kingdom, there was nothing Mystical Being like of it. Carvings in the Mobius script had been on the walls, marking rooms or writing out sentences. Amy could neither read or translate any of the words, and she had doubted that any Mystical Being in the mountain could either._

_Flashback Ends._

_..._

_Flashback._

_A few weeks later._

_"Amy, I need to speak with you." Mephiles said._

_The words were harsh and cold, yet Mephiles's husky voice was still not loud enough to make Amy's ears ache. Amy looked up to Mephiles, her body still but heart racing, it had been, ever since she had walked into the arena and seen the skin changing chameleon, and hadn't stopped even long after she had set her weapons down._

_Mephiles's pale muzzle was lined with wrinkles, signs of his anger that covered every part of his skin. Mephiles's green eyes were impossible to read, 2 black slits that saw Amy's and yet never seemed to show herself back._

_"What you did today." Mephiles said, his voice beginning to rise. "Do you even realize what you did? What you have caused?"_

_The cold dread that had filled Amy since she had left the arena with her head down earlier grew even icier. It ran through every part of Amy, and she was filled with pain before Mephiles even raised his right hand against her._

_"Do you know what they think now?" Mephiles asked._

_Mephiles's thin lips opened wide as he spoke, showing off his sharp teeth. Mephiles was all sharp lines and rough edges and his eyes were in slits, locked on Amy's. _

_"The Mystical Beings are laughing at me now, mocking my name." Mephiles said stressed the last 2 words, his tongue rolling as he spoke._

_Amy couldn't remember when she had first started to understand the vile, bitter tongue of Mystical Beings. At first it had been nothing but strange, guttural sounds from the mouths of Amy's captors. Now, it was something that she could not listen to without understanding every word of._

_"Perhaps, it would be better if I didn't know." Amy thought._

_Up until then, Amy never thought that she would have been jealous of her younger hedgehog self, alone and afraid among the Mystical Beings. Back then, Amy had actually desired to learn their language, if only so that she could know just what everyone was whispering behind her back._

_Now, however, Amy wanted Mephiles's words to just be sounds, a mystery wrapped in a harsh language. Then only the blow of Mephiles's fists would have to speak for itself, the marks and bruises left on Amy's quills and skin an echo of his attack._

_"Do you know why it is not you that they are mocking? I was not the one down in the arena waiting to fight." Mephiles asked._

_Mephiles paused, his eyes moving over Amy as if trying to judge even her slightest involuntary movement. Whether Mephiles was looking at Amy with a scowl or a smirk, the result was never good. Amy had to bite her lip to keep herself from moving._

_"I was not the one who dropped their weapons! I was not the weak one who abandoned my battle!" Mephiles said yelling then, his harsh words filling Amy's ears and echoing back and forth inside of her suddenly hollow mind._

_The Little Planet animal-ish language, even in Deerwood Forest where there were more warriors than poets, was beautiful, with flowing words and pleasing sounds. Spanish, though only a language learned out of necessity for communication with trade partners in Soleanna and beyond, was beautiful in its own way, a language ever changing by the people who spoke it as time moved on._

_"And do you know why they laugh at me?" Amy asked._

_The Mystical Being speech was none of those things._

_Mephiles stepped closer, though his left hand somehow remained at his left side._

_"They laughed at me because I was the one who supported you, who made you more than you ever deserved to be, you Little Planet animal scum. I was the one who let you live while your kin fell in that black forest, with one word, I could have had you killed." Mephiles said, his voice lowered, but that only made goosebumps rise along Amy's left arm._

_Amy's heart skipped a beat and she did not try to could not try to breathe._

_"Do you really believe that you are anything?" Mephiles asked as his right hand._

_Mephiles grabbed Amy's left wrist with his right hand, pulling her closer. Mephiles's grip was so hard that Amy had to wonder if he planned on ripping off her own left hand, a payback for the one that he had lost in the war against the Mobians. Considering Mephiles's strength, Amy had no doubt that he could. _

_"Have I spoiled you by favoring you? Should I have treated you like any of the other worthless rats here living among my people? Maybe then you would at least know your place." Mephiles asked._

_Mephiles's right hand broke away from Amy, and he dropped it down to his side. Amy reached for her left wrist with her right hand, but it only stung further when she touched her skin. Amy had to force back a sob."_

_"You're breaking the rules. Don't cry, don't-" Amy thought, tears burnt at her eyes._

_"Did you think that your looks would save you?" Mephiles asked stepping closer again, peering down at Amy._

_ The dread inside of Amy deepened, running through her arms, into her toes, and sending her stomach in circles. _

_"Or that your skill with a bow would?" Mephiles asked reaching out to grab Amy with his right hand._

_Amy stepped back._

_Amy's heart raced, and for a moment all she could do was survey the distance between her and Mephiles. Whatever had made Amy move out of Mephiles's way had gone still once more, freezing her to the spot._

_Mephiles's face only turned angrier. Perhaps this was how Mephiles's had looked in the war when he was facing off against the Mobians, just before he had lost his hand and arm. While Amy had been locked away in Forest Hill, Mephiles had probably been ripping the head off of the Mobius King with this fury in his eyes._

_"I kept you because you pleased me." Mephiles said his next motion was so quick that Amy barely saw him move. _

_One moment Amy's feet were on the ground and the next she was looking down at Mephiles as he held her up like a rag doll into the air above his face with both hands. _

_"The only reason that I kept you was because you did whatever I would ask." Mephiles said, tightening his grip on Amy. "Why, then, could you not attack the skin changer? Why did you let your weapons down?"_

_For a moment, Amy tried to reply but all that came as a reply were gasps for breath._

_Mephiles looked ready to say something likely another harsh cry in his terrible language, one that would make Amy's skin crawl and ears hurt. Instead, Mephiles raised his left arm or, rather, the metal mace that came out of where the lower half of his left arm once ended and moved it back, holding it for a few moments in a position ready to strike._

_Flashback Ends._

_..._

"So I suppose that this is goodbye." Amy said.

Amy felt even smaller than usual around the skin changing chameleon, it was hard to keep her eyes on Espio, but at the same time she could neither keep herself looking back towards the guardian mountain or towards the forest.

"No." Espio said his voice was sharp, yet still low enough that no one else could hear them.

Amy could hear the neighing of horses and the calls of the rest of the company, most of them anxious to move on once more. Espio reached out and held his right hand just above Amy's left shoulder, only touching her when she gave a quick nod.

"No?" Amy asked.

"You will come back." Espio said his eyes closed, and he pulled away from Amy. "The pain will hurt forever, but you will come back. Life will move on once more and things will be better." the short ends of his cut shackles clinked. "You will come back, Rosy the Rascal. I did not listen with sharp ears every day for word about you before my escape just so that you could return to me and try and say goodbye."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

"It means that you will come see me again." Espio said smiling, a small, sad one that seemed almost wrong looking on his face.

_"How could he smile at all?"_ Amy thought.

"Finish your affairs with these Mobians and come back. My doors are always open to you, and I will wait every day for you to arrive." Espio said, the last of his smile faded.

"I will." Amy said, voice shaky and eyes on the ground. "I swear that I will."

...

A few hours later.

Forest.

Amy looked rather ridiculous on her large horse, though Sonic made no comment of it. It was far too small for Amy, and her small frame barely on it.

The rest of the company seemed to be in an excited mood, discussing heavily of the mountain that lay ahead. Amy, however, was somber, her eyes kept down on her lap. The coat that Shadow had given to Amy had been taken off and replaced by a light green coat one made by Espio.

If Amy were anyone else then Sonic would have been able to make a joke about it. However, all the words stuck in Sonic's throat, and he couldn't keep Amy's eyes on her too long without feeling his own spirits begin to drop.

Instead, Sonic looked ahead and if he squinted then he could see what appeared to be the mountains in the very distance of his eyes.

_..._

_Flashback._

_"Take this." Espio said. "It is the last thing that I can give you now to help you."_

_Amy kept her eyes locked on it, no matter how her eyes blurred with tears. Amy rubbed them away as quickly as they started forming with her left hand._

_The arrows on Amy's back were heavy, and some of the sharpest that she had ever seen. Espio had touched the ends, as if to show the effect, and with only a light touch he had pierced his left index finger. One of those arrows in Amy's quiver had a dried red stain on its tip, even before it was fired._

_Flashback Ends._

_..._

Shadow noticed the feral bear, sweeping in and out of his vision every few seconds. The Mystical Beings that Shadow had seen before no longer seemed like a threat, not when Espio was still following them.

Still, as they moved further and further away from Espio's green fields and warm home, Shadow couldn't help but feel nervous at the sight of the bear. Whatever Espio was protecting the company from, be it Mystical Beings or any enemy that lay ahead, it had to be something dangerous.

They came near the forest in a matter of hours. While the Mobians groaned, Amy's heart skipped a beat. Amy had known it was coming there was no denying such a vast land, but she hadn't expected how close it would actually be. It was only a short while before when they had all been eating a warm breakfast at Espio's home.

"Do we really have to go in there?" one of the Mobian animals asked.

"We'll be eaten by spiders." Amy said, supposing this wasn't a lie.

Considering how the forest looked exactly as Amy remembered it, the name Deerwood Forest still stuck much better than Sherwood, and it hadn't gotten any sunnier, she supposed that the spiders had stuck around. Even when Amy had still lived in Deerwood Forest, they had been pests, destroying a once beautiful forest and turning it into their breeding and trapping grounds.

"The tree lovers will surely get us." Amy said.

Amy froze, looking down to the ground. Amy had carefully gotten off her horse a while before and looked over supplies, finding everything that she needed and then checking all over again. The arrows Amy had looked over the longest, wondering how far they could go into something and if they could possibly come back out. They were slightly heavier than the average arrow, but a comforting weight none the less.

"Where did you get those?" a familiar male voice asked.

The sudden voice made Amy freeze, her hands tightened around the arrow she held.

"Oh, it's you 2." Amy said looking up.

Amy looked back down.

"Where did you get it?" Shadow asked, picking up where his younger brother left off. "Those look pretty sharp."

Amy nodded.

"Trying to beat Sonic, eh?" Shadow asked, looking over to his younger brother. "I'm sure you'll make him look like he's cutting meat with a spoon."

"She's just mad that all the knives you gave her were dull." Sonic said.

Amy looked back down to her arrow for a few more moments and then deposited it back in her quiver with both hands.

"Are we to be leaving soon?" Amy asked.

The 2 hedgehog brothers were silent for a moment, cut off from their joking and their eyes were wide and unblinking.

Sonic's mouth was half open and yet silent.

"I suppose." Shadow said, scratching at his right arm with his left hand.

"Yes, if Uncle Charles and Walter stop trying to kill each other." Sonic said, grinning. "Do you think that the wizard will turn Uncle into something?"

"Maybe a cat." Shadow said, grinning. "He'd probably rub up on Mother's leg and beg for milk."

"And attack every rat he saw." Sonic said. "Though I can see him as a frog or lizard."

"Maybe Walter will turn him into a dragon." Shadow said.

"That would actually be useful. I just hope it's one with wings, because I don't want to have to walk all the way to the mountain." Sonic said.

Amy turned her eyes towards the forest. Though Amy was too far from either Charles or Walter to hear what either one was saying, the exasperated look on Walter's face and the angry look on Charles's said enough. Chuck stood to the side, and every few moments he looked as though he would try to break in and try to bring some sort of compromise, but ultimately stopped himself.

"Amy?" Shadow asked.

"Rose?" Shadow asked.

Almost in unison except for a slight break between the 2 hedgehog brothers.

"Huh?" Amy asked, turning back towards Shadow and Sonic.

"We were wondering what you think he would be." Sonic said.

"Who?" Amy asked

"Our Uncle Charles." Shadow said.

Amy bit her lip. Though Amy knew that Shadow and Sonic well, she hardly knew their uncle personally. Learning from them was easier, as Amy didn't have to speak with Charles himself. Charles the Hedgehog, who had ripped off Mephiles's left arm. Charles the Hedgehog, who had tried to rescue Forest Hill.

Who, if Mephiles's plan had succeeded and Forest Hill been reclaimed, could have possibly saved Amy.

"A mouse." Amy said.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean a mouse." Amy said, wrapping her arms around her waist and looked down.

Shadow and Sonic silenced and that bothered Amy more than her words. At least Shadow and Sonic tried to make things happy.

"Shadow didn't give me dull knives." Amy said, looking up to Sonic.

Sonic turned red.

Shadow grinned.

Opening her supplies once more with both hands, Amy grabbed Shadow's coat and pulled out one of his sharpest knives. It glinted in the light, and was another comforting feeling in Amy's right hand.

...

The arrow that Espio had pricked his left index finger on was a very special one, or at least Amy supposed. As Amy's horse walked along, she looked it over and over again.

Perhaps Amy would get lucky and not have to use it, perhaps she wouldn't have to use every arrow she had to protect herself.

Perhaps one day Amy could go back and return it, returning what might as well have been her own cursed little necklace.

...

Deerwood Forest.

30 minutes later.

Amy would be lying to herself if she claimed that she didn't want to turn around. Though the forest looked the same, the darkness around Amy was even stronger, as if it wished to swallow her and everyone else who stepped into it.

Sonic was behind Amy, and after him was Shadow. Everyone walked single file, the forest path having long ago grown thinner. The path itself was nothing but dirt curving in a way that seemed like a road, yet held little space. Branches tickled Amy's arms and twigs snapped under her feet. Every noise rang in Amy's ears and seemed to set the entire company on edge.

There was no talking, no discussions of plans, no motivational words from Charles, and no complaints. Instead, there was heavy breathing and twigs snapping along with 15 pairs of footsteps.

Amy supposed that Charles was the least lucky of them all. Standing at the very front of the line, with no real idea of what was ahead of Charles seemed nerve wracking. There was no chance that Charles could turn back, not now when the mountain was so close and his new home in The Mountain Stormtop so far away. It wasn't even as if Charles could just turn around, walk a few miles, and find himself somewhere safe again.

Amy clutched one of her bows with both hands. Even with the forest path the one that they were never, under any means necessary, to leave under Walter's instructions and the Mobians behind Amy, the way back didn't seem so hard to find. Amy could turn back and return to the sunshine, walk a few miles and find herself back somewhere safe and warm. Espio would be ecstatic and Amy's stomach would thank her.

Amy shook her head. _"What was I even thinking?"_ she thought.

Amy could no more turn around now then she could suddenly close her eyes and find herself in front of the mountain of Mount Splatterhorn with Mist Dragon dead.

"We're going in circles." Vector said, breaking the silence.

"We're still on the path." Charles said. "And I doubt that the Little Planet animals here, as awful as they are, would make a pointless path."

"They have to walk through here too!" a sky blue male cat said.

"How should you know? If Charles's good at anything, it's getting lost." Vector questioned.

Amy closed her eyes and nearly covered her ears with both hands.

"Took him forever to find my home." Chuck said.

Amy opened her eyes and she looked over to Shadow and Sonic, but their eyes were downcast and lips thin lines. Amy's own eyes shifted forward. The forest was dark, with barely any light coming in through the trees. How Amy was able to see anyone below her, let alone the sky above her and everyone, seemed like a miracle. There had been some days, when Amy was younger, that her mother and her troops hadn't been able to go out hunting because it was so dark. Their lanterns and torches would barely be able to make a rip in the thick blanket of darkness, let alone show where spiders were.

The day that the Mystical Beings had came hard been dark, but thick enough to where they could be sighted. A few had been killed, and perhaps it was for those Mystical Beings that had fallen that the Mystical Beings had attacked so fiercely.

Amy's arms wrapped around herself, apart of her wanted to squeeze herself and never let go, but the other part of her the smart part wanted to get her bow ready. There could be enemies anywhere behind the company or ahead, below their feet or above their heads after all.

"Sonic?" Amy asked, her voice was barely above a whisper.

Besides Sonic and a few other Mobian animals around Amy with good ears, had others heard her?

"Huh?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic, do you or Shadow see anything?" Amy asked.

"I see trees." Sonic said.

Amy clutched her bow tighter in her left hand and Espio's arrow in her right hand. "Do you see any spiders? Any Mystical Beings?" she asked.

"Spiders?" Sonic asked.

Amy tensed at the very word. "Just keep on the look out." she said.

The Company walked on, every step harder on Amy's feet than the last. A few whined about stopping and taking a break, but Amy remained silent. Deerwood Forest was no place to stop and rest in, and Amy doubted that they could stop and make champ without something anything finding them.

"Just keep moving." Charles said.

The same Mobian green male fox as earlier whined about the group moving in circles.

"I've seen that tree before." a Mobian green male fox said.

"There are a million trees in this forest!" an orange Mobian male echidna said.

Amy wasn't sure when the hallucinations started and she had heard of them happening to mortals who traveled east through Deerwood Forest, but had never experienced them before. The Little Planet animals of Deerwood Forest had made a solution to combat it, a medicine that she had not taken in years.

Where Sonic was supposed to be stood Amy, an exact copy. Judging by the look on the other Amy's face, she seemed just as surprised to see the pink Little Planet hedgehog in front of her as Amy did.

Amy looked forward and then closed her eyes and rubbed them for a few moments with her hands.

_"It's not real."_ Amy thought, reminding herself. _"But would the spiders be real? What if I saw a Mystical Being? Would I waste my arrows attacking the air or would I be so sure that I was seeing nothing that I would be attacked?"_

When Amy opened her eyes and looked behind her, Sonic stood there and his face had changed, and his eyes met hers.

"Are we going in circles?" Sonic asked.

Amy bit her lip, unsure of how to respond to Sonic.

"I want out." Sonic said his voice was low, and his eyes constantly moved.

Amy looked away from Sonic, her eyes looking forward again but were torn away from the cobalt blue Mobius hedgehog's back. Though Sonic was still beside Amy, she could see herself, younger, fool hardier, being chased by Mystical Beings. Amy was struggling to aim her bow and run at the same time, and every few moments risked running into a tree.

Sonic bumped into Amy.

"Rose, what are you looking at?" Shadow asked.

"Do you see a spider?" Sonic asked, clutching his bow tighter with his right hand.

"Get moving!" a beige Mobius male jackal said, near the back.

Amy merely shook her head and continued moving forward once more.

_"It's not real."_ Amy thought, reminding herself. _"Or at least it's not real any longer."_

But it had been real, all those years before. Nothing could remove the stain of Amy's parents' blood from the ground, nor could she forget the terror of being attacked by invaders even worse than the spiders.

Amy closed her eyes for a few moments but kept moving. If things were simple then what Amy saw wouldn't hurt her but nothing was ever simple for her, was it? Not after that had happened everything that Amy had done.

Amy opened her eyes. The Mobian animals and Chuck were still in front of Amy, and Shadow and Sonic and the rest of the company were still behind her.

The other Amy was still running and screaming, crying out for someone, anyone to help her.

The Mystical Beings continued after Amy, closing the gap of distance between them. There seemed to be more now than before Amy closed her eyes, all chasing after the same Little Planet hedgehog.

Then their wolf packs stopped moving and eyes shifted. All of them were looking at Amy, eyes hungry and mouths opened to show off their sharp yellow teeth. One ran towards Amy and the others followed.

_"They're not real."_ Amy thought, reminding herself as her feet followed the path. _"They cannot hurt me now."_

But their angry cries rang in Amy's ears, and she had never had reason not to trust her eyes before. The Mystical Beings were getting closer and closer to Amy by the second.

The scream left Amy's throat before the arrow left her bow. Then, with a racing heart and throbbing head, Amy turned and sprinted through the forest, twigs cracking under her feet and tree branches reaching out and grabbing onto her like claws.

_..._

_Dream._

_The Mystical Beings were all around Amy, watching her every move. No one in the place seemed to breathing, just watching Amy and waiting to do see what she would do. Their eyes were hungry and their teeth glistened, and each new Mystical Being that Amy saw was even more fierce some than the last._

_Dream Ends._

_..._

Deerwood Forest.

"Are you awake?" a familiar male voice asked.

"Huh?" Amy asked.

Every noise Amy heard, every light that she saw and from what she could already tell, at least in her dim haze, there were very few was too bright, and everything that touched her felt wrong. Amy's head swam and vision blurred, and the food that she had eaten at Espio's no longer seemed so appetizing.

Espio's.

They had left Espio's some time before when they had come to... Where?

"Deerwood Forest?" Amy asked, the word flashing through her mind. "Is that where we are?"

"Sad to say, but yes." the familiar male voice said.

Amy had heard it a number of times before but couldn't quite place it. When Amy looked forward, she saw only bits of light that were too bright for her.

"Ch..." Amy began, trying to remember his name.

_"Why did so many members of the company have names starting with the letter "C"?"_ Amy thought.

"Chuck, where are you?" Amy asked.

"Oh." Chuck said.

Amy blinked a few times and Chuck stood before her.

Chuck looked rather tired, with cold eyes and a heavy frown, his left hand was in his left pocket, while his right hand tightly held a sword. Chuck had appeared as if out of nowhere. Still, the creature before her was surely Chuck.

_"The forest must still be playing tricks on me."_ Amy thought.

_"After all, it wasn't as if scientists could just turn invisible."_ Amy thought.

Chuck was incredibly dirty, covered with what looked like fresh scars, dirt, and a sticky white fluid. Looking down, Amy noticed the same white substance on her clothes and bow.

"Chuck, what happened?" Amy asked.

Before Chuck could even reply, the answer appeared before Amy. Grabbing her bow with her left hand, Amy quickly fired an arrow at the spider behind her with her right hand, which was almost as dark as the forest it inhabited. Though Amy's body shook, she had used as much strength as she could muster in the shot, and was pleased to hear the giant arachnid screech in pain.

...

Somewhere Else.

Forest.

Lupe could not be sure what to think of the feral bear. They had been watching and following it for some time, though Lupe could not see why. Though Lupe had hunted feral bears in the past, even feasted on their rough meat, there was something about this bear that made her hesitate. Maybe it was the smell of Amy upon the feral bear, or the way that it lunged so fiercely at Mephiles and the Mystical Beings. Usually a formidable foe with his allies, Mephiles looked to be struggling against the creature.

The feral bear let loose a roar and jumped on Mephiles. Lupe watched to the side. Had Lupe not smelled Amy up ahead then she surely would have attacked it.

Instead, Amy watched the fight. Mephiles roared in pain, and his blonde wolf pack looked dangerously tired. A few other Mystical Beings laid dead.

Lupe turned and began to sniff around, but keeping her ears alert in case of danger. The feral bear was still close to Lupe.

...

Deerwood Forest.

Amy wasn't the only one, she learned, who had been attacked by spiders. The memory was still hazy in Amy's mind, most of it consisting of Mystical Beings imaginary or not? Attacking Amy before things went dark. Still, if Amy focused hard enough then the memory of the sound of long legs running across tree tops would cross her mind, followed by the sound of an inhuman, animalistic cry.

"How did you escape the spiders?" Amy asked, her bow was at her left side and an arrow in her right hand.

Chuck looked down to meet Amy's eyes. "Oh, you know..." he said pausing for a moment, looking down to his sword in his right hand. "Some burglar business is all I used. I had a few tricks up my sleeve, some silent feet, and a bit of courage that I found in the Misty Mountains."

"Ah." Amy said, looking back up, searching among the trees for bits of light and white shapes. There were webs everywhere, and Amy had to use one of Shadow's knives to cut through it.

Deerwood Forest certainly hadn't changed. In all the years that Amy had been gone, she had hoped that Jules and his people would at least have been able to find some way to rid the forest of spiders and the darkness that descended with them.

_"No such luck._" Amy thought as she cut through a web made between 2 trees.

"Where is the path, anyway?" Amy asked.

"It ended." Chuck said. "The thing was useless."

_"How marvelous."_ Amy thought, shivering as she removed some webbing from the knife that Shadow had given her. Trapped in a dark forest surrounded by hungry spiders oh, how nice Espio's offer suddenly seemed.

Amy put up her hood with her right hand, covering her pink quills and face.

With all the webbing around, it was hard to tell if they were getting closer to the Mobian animals or simply wondering through a spot that the spiders had invaded and dirtied. Most of the webs looked abandoned, with little to nothing actually stuck to them.

Chuck saw the Mobian animals, or rather the sticky white cocoons holding up the Mobians, before Amy. Wordlessly, Chuck pointed upwards, his eyes wide and mouth open.

There were the Mobians, all 13 hung up in a line. They had probably all been captured together.

Beside the biggest one were 2 large spiders.

"Can you climb trees?" Chuck asked.

"Ever since I was a child." Amy said.

Amy aimed her bow and fired with her right hand. After Amy had done so, she repeated the action again and again, until she had hit each spider up on the tree. Chuck had vanished somewhere, and Amy began to descend the trees. Bits of webbing covered Amy, and she couldn't climb while getting it all off. Amy panted and climbed on.

Keeping steady on the tree branches, no matter how large, were hard. Taking Shadow's knife, Amy began to cut through the spider webbing with her right hand. Amy panted.

As Amy cut, she eventually noticed Chuck doing the same with his small sword. How Chuck had gotten up there without Amy's notice, she did not know, nor could she care. Not now, when so many were in need of Amy's aid.

Getting just one Mobius out of the webbing seemed to take hours. Amy could never be too careful, not when most looked as sick as she had when they left their webbing and while she risked the silk cocoons falling or accidentally cutting and injuring one of the Mobian animals. Still, Amy found the company safe, and just in time. Just as Amy had freed Pachacamac, a spider cried behind her.

It screeched as an arrow went through it. Amy hardly noticed, just fired another before watching it fall from the trees. While Mobians jumped down from the tree or fell off, Amy stayed upwards and fired.

The bodies of the spiders hit the ground with a clunk. One seemed to come after another. Finally, with Amy's precious arrows from Espio low and the spiders seemingly gone from the trees, she jumped.

Removing arrows from carcasses and firing them again was nothing strange to Amy. Lily had done it all the time, especially when supplies were low and agreements between Deerwood Forest and its trading countries were shaky.

There were more spiders on the ground. As soon as an arrow was out of a spider, Amy was attacking another. The other Mobian animals were fighting as well, using either their own weapons or the bows that Espio had loaned them.

"Throw me a knife!" Sonic said, yelling.

Amy had seen Shadow and Sonic fighting close to her, but she couldn't tell who Sonic was yelling at. Without hesitation, however, Amy threw Sonic the blade that Shadow had given her with her left hand before aiming another arrow with her right hand.

It all happened so fast, with Amy having killed a spider one moment and more surrounding her and the company. Then the spiders had screeched and fallen, attacked by those faster than the tired company.

Amy did not see Mystical Beings surrounding her this time, and she had no chance to run or scream. Amy could not fight either, but only drop her weapons and raise her hands in surrender as everyone else was doing.

"Now what do you Mobians think that you are doing in this forest?" a Little Planet male animal asked.

Amy wanted to wrap her arms around herself, but could only stare at the Little Planet animals ahead. They were hard eyed soldiers holding large wooden bows.

"Commander." a dark yellow Little Planet hedgehog male said. "What are we to do with them?"

"Take their weapons and bring them to my father." a lime green Little Planet hedgehog male said.

The Little Planet animals swarmed around Mobius animals, taking weapons and glaring at the company. Amy bit her lip, and with a sudden energy reached out and grabbed her weapons from the ground. What good would it do Amy to be defenseless? At least if Amy held onto her bow then she would have some means of protecting herself.

"What do you think that you are doing?"

The words spoken in spanish made Amy freeze. From the ground, Amy watched boots walk towards her.

"Mobians." the male Little Planet voice said, muttering in Little Planet animal-ish. "Getting smaller than ever and starting to use bows of all things."

It was only when the lime green Little Planet hedgehog male said was over Amy that she finally looked up. Amy had never expected to see the lime green Little Planet hedgehog male's face again.

"Drop your weapons, Mobius. You are surrounded on all sides." the lime green Little Planet hedgehog male said then, without warning, he tore off Amy's hood of her coat, one that Espio had given her with his right hand.

For a moment, there was total silence.

"Amy Rose?" the lime green Little Planet hedgehog male asked.

Disbelief was stitched through the lime green Little Planet hedgehog male's voice, and his face was held in shock still, his sky blue eyes glowed, holding the same gleam that it had when they were just children.

"Scourge? Scourge the Hedgehog?" Amy asked.

...

Shadow could have cut the tension in the air with one of his knives. Besides the clomping of boots on the ground and the cracking of twigs, the forest was oddly silent. The aurora of spiders had vanished with the appearance of the Little Planet animals, who still had their bows drawn and eyes locked on the looming darkness before and behind them.

The Little Planet animals surrounded the Mobian animals, and based on Shadow's rough estimate, considering he couldn't see all the Mobian animals, let alone all of the Little Planet animals, there was at least a 3 to 1 Little Planet animal to Mobius ratio. It didn't help that the entire company was famished, tired, and still woozy from whatever had been in the spiders' webs.

However, for once there was no need to fight. Once the Little Planet animals had seen Amy's face, and a somewhat lengthy conversation had occurred between Amy and the blond Little Planet animal in a mix of both spanish and Little Planet animal-ish, all weapons had been lowered.

Of course Shadow's uncle could still manage to not be happy about that.

Charles stood up rod straight, his cold eyes set forward and his lips were in a hard frown that emphasized the growing number of wrinkles on his face. Charles was one of the only Mobian animals who still had his weapon out, his sword held firmly in his right hand. Though Charles had yet to mutter something rude under his breath in japanese, it wasn't hard for Shadow to guess what his uncle was thinking.

All things considered, Shadow was sure that things could have gone much worse.

Sonic walked at his older brother's side. As always, Sonic managed to keep a smile on his face, and Shadow couldn't help but return it. However, his eyes shifted, and Shadow quickly followed his gaze.

Amy had taken her hood down, letting her long pink quills fly free. All but glued to Amy's side was the lime green Little Planet hedgehog male from earlier. Though they had stopped their constant chatter, they seemed happy to see each other. Their mutual silence said more than words ever could.

Sonic's eyes flickered over the 2, an almost saddened look in his eyes. Then, for a moment, Amy's face turned. For a moment, Amy seemed to shine bright, a little piece of happiness in the accursed forest.

Shadow smiled and he didn't need all the answers, at least not now. Amy's smile, so genuine, made Shadow relax.

"Dansei no chiisana wakusei no doubutsu ni tsui te shinpai shina ide ku dasai. (Do not worry about the male Little Planet animal)." Shadow said in japanese.

Shadow gave Sonic's right shoulder a squeeze with his left hand. "Everything is fine." he said.

It took him a moment, but Sonic smiled once more.

Charles, who stood a few steps ahead of them, merely grunted.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Well, everything is fine for us." he said.

Sonic squeezed Shadow's left shoulder back with his right hand.

...

20 minutes later.

Castle.

Deerwood Forest had changed in the years since Amy had left it. Though many had started to retreat into the central base Amy's king held, by now the last of the wayward houses had been abandoned. What was left were broken and forgotten shacks, ravaged by the cruel passing of time or the fierce attacks of spiders. Most were mere shells of what they had once been, mere pieces of scattered wood covered in thick spider web.

Amy's grip on her bow tightened with her left hand.

"Those are ancient nests." Scourge said. "The spiders who lived there now lie long dead."

Amy turned back to Scourge, letting her tight grip on her weapon loosen. "That is the least that those vermin deserve." she said.

The forest seemed even darker now than before. Even now, with Amy's friends and allies all around her and the spiders far behind them, Amy could feel the shadows thickening around her. The trees seemed to have thicker stumps, with scratched wood. The grass was hardly any better, a rough kind that seemed more grey than green. Besides the spiders and a few feral squirrels, Amy had seen no living creature. Where elk and feral birds and feral foxes had once ran freely were thick shadows and a cold breeze. Amy doubted most living creatures would want to live there.

Amy looked back to Scourge. Amy could still see the questions in Scourge's eyes, the words that he could hardly hold back. Amy had only just barely been able to silence Scourge and convince him to not imprison the Mobian animals, and she had just barely escaped an invasive questioning in the process. Questions would have to be answered, there was no way to deny that, but Amy hoped that she could at least wait until they were out of the forest. Hopefully, Jules's halls would be as bright as ever. Good light and warm food, not to mention being in a fortress surrounded by iron gates and heavily weaponed animal guards, seemed like a far preferable place to answering questions than out in the dark and dreary forest.

It was no wonder that they no longer called the place Sherwood.

Though there was little conversation, Amy felt many eyes on her. The gazes of the Little Planet animals seemed much harder than the Mobian animals. None of the Little Planet animal soldiers seemed angry at Amy's presence, but their eyes ran over her none the less. Did they think Amy to be just another of the forest's visual tricks?

Except for the abandoned shacks and buildings, the forest was roughly the same everywhere Amy looked. Shadows and trees were everywhere, surrounding the large group. If Amy looked long enough she might have caught differences in bark types, but she hardly had the patience for it. Not when Amy's stomach rumbled and the halls of her childhood were so close and yet still so very, very far away. Happy or not, and surrounded by Amy's kin, her body needed food and rest.

When they entered Deerwood Forest, Scourge grinned at every guard and all but dragged to the group to Jules. The Mobian animals, on their part, thankfully didn't moan or use a few choice words. Rather, their spirits brightened at the promise of food and places to rest. The warm, lit kingdom was certainly much more preferable than the dark, damp forest.

Amy's hunger had lightened, if only because it was hard to think solely about food in her former home. It had greatly changed in some aspects while other parts remained the same. There were even more soldiers than before, with what looked to be heavier armor and sharper blades. The central base was larger and more expansive. Little Planet animals surrounded them on all sides, from soldiers to merchants to ordinary citizens. Though she felt again many eyes on Amy, they did not linger on her for very long.

"You came back at the right time." Scourge said. "The Tome of Feasts is in a few weeks, and already preparations are being made. Truly we have a reason to celebrate this year!"

Amy smiled.

The Tome of Feasts was a holiday of good cheer and even better food. There was more to it than just the stars as wonderful as they were. It was a holiday that the Deerwood Forest Little Planet animals had celebrated for ages, even before the great forest kingdom was founded and long before even King Jules had been born. It brought generations together, and during the feast time no longer stood still. The world moved faster and each of its wonders left a lasting memory. Each feast was different from the previous, and each one seemed far better than the last.

Jules's royal chamber had certainly changed. It was heavily guarded and darker, with fewer torches hanging on the wall. Another Little Planet animal stood at his side, a dark quilled Little Planet animal woman who seemed to be serving as Amy's mother's replacement for the captain of the guard if the weapons she held and the decorative necklace she wore served as any proof. Elk antlers hung on the walls, arranged from the smallest near the bottom and the larger near the top. Still, Jules sat as he always did, cool and composed. Autumn had come, and on Jules's head sat a crown of browning leaves.

Jules's eyes widened for a moment when he saw the group and his eyes shifted from Scourge to Amy to the group of Mobian animals. For a moment, Jules looked ready to say something, but remained quiet.

After a moment of silence, Jules finally spoke as his voice was still as heavy as Amy remembered it, easily filling the room.

"I see." Jules said, standing from his wooden throne. "That something great has happened."

Despite Jules's words spoken in a monotone style, his face was blank and unreadable, lacking the greatness he spoke of. It was only when Jules stepped closer to Amy and took a long look at her face that he finally relaxed as his shoulders shifted and a smile crossed his face.

Then, just as suddenly, the smile vanished.

For the first time, Amy saw her king weep. Her king, Jules who had lived through many wars, had seen his own father die, and had watched his kingdom be invaded by dark forces, was crying. Wordlessly, Jules reached forward and grabbed Amy with both hands, sobbing into her right shoulder. Amy tensed, standing still as a statue. Every movement Jules made, from the feeling of his face moving across Amy's right shoulder, to the tightening of his arms on her waist as if he wanted to grab her and never let her go, reverberated through her quills and skin.

...

10 minutes later.

"Why did your father cry when he saw me?" Amy asked.

All of Amy's hunger and desire to sleep had vanished. It was replaced by a thick dread that hung heavy in Amy's twisting stomach and over her heart and her arms wrapped around her waist.

"Why would he not?" Scourge asked. "Not even many of our kind are able to withstand the wrath and torture of the Mystical Beings. He was truly happy to see you, Amy." Scourge's smile faltered and he placed his right hand on Amy's left shoulder. "My father was crying for the years lost, the time where he grieved for someone who was still alive."

...

Evening.

Private Bath.

There was nothing quite like a warm bath. Part of Amy just wanted to stay in the warm water forever. Amy's troubles went away with the steam. Some of Jules's servants had taken Amy's clothes to be washed, and soon replacements would be brought in. Until then, Amy would enjoy her privacy.

There was soap and a wash cloth set out, but Amy had yet to use it. As of then, Amy wanted to simply enjoy the feeling of warm water against her quills and skin. This was one of the few private baths in the kingdom. Scourge had all but insisted Amy use it rather than going to one of the bath houses with the Mobian animals.

A sudden knock on the door jolted Amy forward. Water splashed slightly on the floor, and Amy's eyes turned to the door.

"Who is it?" Amy asked.

"Brenda." a female voice said..

"Hmmm?" Amy asked.

As if taking that as an invitation to come in, a royal yellow Little Planet hedgehog female entered the room. Amy quickly scooted underwater and was thankful that her long quills floated out and above her.

The royal yellow hedgehog woman though, judging by the way Brenda looked, girl seemed more appropriate at the door had royal yellow quills and lavender eyes. In Amy's hands was a folded dress, as bright green as summer leaves.

"Oh, I apologize." Brenda said, her eyes turning to the folded bundle in her hands. "I did not mean to intrude."

"Do not worry." Amy said as her own eyes looked down to her locks of quills flowing in the water.

"I should have expected you to be in here." Brenda said straightening her back and looked forward, her eyes on the wall above Amy's head. "I was instructed to bring this to you."

"Thank you." Amy said. "Please just place it down for me and I will get it."

Amy hadn't seen the woman earlier, so she must have been one of the newer servants. At most, Brenda looked to be in her early 20s.

"But what if it gets dirty?" Brenda said biting her lip, her eyes flashing with worry.

"Do not worry." Amy said. "Please, just go."

Amy's words came out slightly harsh a bit at the end.

Brenda quickly nodded and placed Amy's clothes down with both hands then she quickly left the small room and closed the door.

Amy sighed and sunk beneath the water. It was always strange, seeing the world through water. Even if there wasn't much to see in the room, the walls and towel hangers blurred above Amy, a mix of wavering colors.

For a moment, Amy thought over her words. Amy certainly could have acted a little calmer. Brenda had certainly been as afraid of Amy as she was.

_"Don't worry about it."_ Amy thought, sitting up.

Amy pulled her head from the water and froze a moment as cold quills hit her skin. Bits of water fell from Amy's quills and face and ran down her fur and skin, as if the water was running back home to the water in the metal tub.

But worry Amy did. It was hard not to, when Amy's dress was laid out and it fully hit her where she was. Questions were coming. Amy had seen them in Scourge and Jules's eyes, and felt them in every stare the Deerwood Forest soldiers gave to her.

Amy was an exception, a former citizen turned stranger and somehow, she had to answer their every question.

Without thinking, Amy stood up. If this was to be done, then she must hurry. There was no point in stopping the inevitable.

The room had no mirror in it, so Amy had to hope that her quills, dried only by a towel, looked nice. It wasn't until then that Amy truly noticed how long it had gotten. A few more months and it surely would have been dragging on the floor. Amy's hands reached out to grab it and braid it with both hands but she stopped herself. Amy had nothing to hold the braids back, and she was never the best solo braider. Judging by the style of the red dress on the floor, Jules expected Amy to look nice.

With a sigh, Amy picked it up and put it on with both hands. After a moment though, she relaxed. The dress went down past Amy's knees, and the fabric was soft and silky to the touch. White undergarments had come with it, which were just as soft. There were, however, no shoes of any kind.

When Amy left, she saw Brenda from earlier standing by the door. Amy raised an eyebrow.

"I was asked to escort you to the dining hall." Brenda said, gave a small bow.

For a moment, Amy was unsure of how to reply. Amy did not act like a rowdy Mobius, but she did not have the stiff formality that many Mystical Beings who had been around her did.

"I apologize." Amy said.

Brenda blinked.

"I should not have snapped at you." Amy said, straightening. "Thank you."

Brenda smiled. "Of course, mistress." she said.

Amy's eyes widened. It had to have been Scourge or Jules who had instructed Amy.

"Please." Amy said. "Amy will do."

Brenda nodded.

The 2 hedgehog women moved forward, Brenda only a few steps faster than Amy.

"Do I look alright?" Amy asked as she and Brenda neared the dining hall.

It seemed like ages since Amy had cared so much about her appearance, and she couldn't help but feel her cheeks flush.

"You look very nice." Brenda said.

Amy had a serious voice when she wasn't nervous, the kind that didn't sound as if it were trying to hide anything from her.

Slowly, the twisting hallways packed with soldiers grew more and more familiar. Soon enough, it almost seemed as if Amy had taken a step into the past.

Once they reached the familiar heavy wooden doors, the ones that Amy had followed her parents through before for countless meals, Brenda stopped.

"Everyone is waiting for you." Brenda said then gave another quick bow and stepped away.

"Wait." Amy said.

Brenda froze. "Yes, miss-" she said then paused for a moment. "Yes, Amy?"

"Aren't you going to be eating with us?" Amy asked.

"I, well." Brenda said as her eyes darted around. "If you would like it, my lady."

Amy had to force back a laugh. Oh, that had to have been Jules. Not even Scourge would instruct Amy to say that.

"Come in." Amy said, wrapping her left hand around the polished silver handle. "And please do stop with the formalities."

Brenda nodded.

The dining hall itself seemed larger than Amy remembered, though perhaps that was because 13 Mobian animals and a hedgehog scientist were also sitting at it. Most of the Mobians looked to be wearing Little Planet animal-ish clothing, most of which fell past their feet. Jules and Scourge sat near the end of the table as they had before, with the dark brown hedgehog quilled woman from earlier also sitting beside them. Before everything changed, Amy had usually spent her evening meal with her parents, king, and prince, and maybe a visiting guest from another Little Planet kingdom if one ever stopped by. Now, nearly every seat at the table seemed packed.

As if by luck, 2 seats were still left. After taking a deep breath, Amy stepped forward and took her seat.

Shadow had to force his eyes away. Judging by a quick glance at his younger brother, Sonic was still looking and wasn't quite as subtle about it as his mouth was slightly open, and in his eyes a mix of awe and shock.

"Sonic." Shadow said as his voice was low, too low for even he himself to easily hear.

A quick jab to his younger brother's left side was far more effective, and quickly turned his Sonic's eyes over to Shadow.

"What did I do?" Sonic asked.

"Don't look at her like that." Shadow said.

"Why?" Sonic asked.

It seemed like common sense. 'Look at Amy's arms.' Considering how much Sonic had been looking, Shadow would have thought that his younger brother would have noticed that they were crossed at Amy's sides and holding onto her waist.

Sonic quickly averted his eyes back down to the table.

_..._

_Flashback._

_A few months later._

_Day Time._

_Sometimes it was hard to believe that Forest Hill had once belonged to Mobian animals. When she thought of Mobians, Amy pictured finely made weaponry and carefully crafted trinkets. Amy thought of the Deerwood Forest queen's jewelry and various bracelets her mother had bought from Mount Splatterhorn centuries before, with gems that sparkled in even the faintest of light._

_Amy did not think of halls overflowing with Mystical Beings or their putrid scent. When Amy looked at the remains of broken statues she saw only rubble, tossed around by a Mystical Beings as if it meant nothing. Once, those dusty and broken pieces had represented someone and meant something._

_"Perhaps that's the problem." Amy thought as she looked over herself in the mirror. _

_Mystical Beings don't care if someone cares about something, it's not as if they care about anything themselves._

_It was hard to call what Amy was wearing a dress. The thin dark red fabric seemed to be just that fabric. It showed more than Amy would have liked and hardly gave her any good coverage. Goosebumps rose over the backs of Amy's legs. It seemed more like fabric loosely stuck together than anything, and luck was likely the only reason it stayed on Amy._

_If it had been Little Planet animals made, it would at least have been made to last. Amy doubted that it would still be held together within a month._

_Amy blinked a few times at the mirror in front of her. Though the cover was slightly dirty, Amy could still make herself out. The mirror's frame was made of a sharp, slightly shiny rock and inlaid with geometric patterns. Bits of the frame were chipped, but the patterns was still visible. Amy ran her right index finger over them. It was so much easier to focus on the patterns and to try and decipher their meaning then to look at Amy._

_It wasn't as if there was anything worth seeing._

_"These were made by Mobians." Amy thought._

_As hard as that was for Amy to believe sometimes, it was an easier idea to swallow than that the Mystical Beings had managed to make something so beautiful._

_Amy's right hand wondered over the patterns until a Mystical Being came to fetch her._

_"Mephiles requests you." one of the Mystical Being male's said, their voice low and face blank._

_"Of course." Amy said. _

_Amy pulled her right hand away from the mirror's frame and turned. Right before the mirror was completely out of sight, Amy got one last look at herself._

_When Amy returned to the room it was hard to consider it hers, especially when Mephiles always had her over in his, she turned the mirror around._

_Flashback Ends._

_..._

"I see that I am serving a rather large company tonight." Jules said.

Jules's voice filled the room, and all heads turned to him. There was an almost hypnotic quality to Jules, something that easily let him gain everyone's attention.

For a moment, Amy's heart raced as she waited for him to continue. The heavy silence, however, remained.

"My father." Scourge said, gesturing around the table. "Welcomes you."

"And we thank you." Simon said quickly.

Though his brother and Charles, who were sitting on both sides of him, were still dressed in their Mobius clothing, Simon was dressed in a clean Little Planet animal-ish robe.

Charles's face looked to be on the verge of a frown, one that he could just barely hold back.

_"Old grudges die hard."_ Amy thought, reminding herself.

"This was quite generous of you, dear king Jules." Simon said, smiling.

Even if Simon was simply faking happiness, he did it well. Amy doubted Charles could do the same, let alone have the chance to actually be happy about it.

"We are all pleased to sit and eat with you." Simon said.

For a moment, Amy could have sworn that she felt the eyes of everyone in the room turn to her. How long could everyone skirt around the issue? How long until Amy was questioned?

"And we too are pleased to have you here tonight." Jules said.

For a moment, Jules's eyes locked onto Amy's. There was no way to deny it, not with a gaze as sharp as Amy's king's.

Sometimes Mephiles was not angry.

Sometimes Mephiles did not raise his fist or mace.

Sometimes Mephiles was almost gentle, his touch almost like a caress.

Almost.

Sometimes.

As Amy surveyed the fresh marks on her fur and skin, the ones that were always taking longer and longer to heal, she couldn't help but wish that the night before had been one of the good nights.

_"Chuck has saved us all again."_ Shadow thought.

This time, rather than trying to argue with trolls or try and protect Charles from his worst enemy, Shadow just had to keep the Little Planet animals' attention. Judging by the number of questions Simon had, which he had begun asking without previous prompting, every question was genuine. Considering how quickly Simon went from receiving an answer to asking another question, it would probably be a while before his desire for knowledge was quenched.

Amy, Shadow noticed as he shot her a quick glance from the corner of his eye, looked to be the most relieved. Amy's earlier tension had faded slightly, with her frown gone and her arms reached towards her plate rather than the table. Amy was nibbling on bread.

Shadow took another bite of his meat. Whatever it was, it tasted good. The sauce was certainly delicious, and Shadow had to keep himself from licking his fingers. It wasn't as if they were eating at Chuck's house.

_"But I'm sure Charles wouldn't mind us throwing around these dishes."_ Shadow thought.

"Is it true that one of the Little Planet animal poets once compared Deerwood to paradise? I've read various translations of the text and even the original Little Planet animal-ish itself, in Lorence's library to be exact, and I'm still not one hundred percent sure." Chuck asked.

Considering how many questions he was prattling off, it was surprising that Chuck had already finished half of the food on his plate.

"Hey, Shadow." Sonic said, whispering.

Shadow raised an eyebrow and leaned his ear closer to Sonic.

"Can you understand anything that Chuck's saying? It all sounds like gibberish to me." Sonic asked.

"I've started tuning it out." Shadow said.

For the first time that night, Shadow picked up his glass of wine with his right hand. It was even larger than Chuck's beer mugs had been, and was all but filled to the brim with red wine. Raising the glass to his lips, Shadow ignored whatever Chuck was saying.

Shadow was no stranger to the taste of wine. It was easier to swallow than beer, and didn't burn his throat the way some of the drinks in men's taverns did. There was just nothing quite like Deerwood Forest wine.

It was sweet to the tongue and easy to swallow. In one swig Shadow took nearly half of the glass.

_"No wonder Jules finishes this so quickly."_ Shadow thought.

Shadow looked down to the glass for a moment before raising it again to his lips.

The wine made Chuck's words even easier to ignore. For a moment, Shadow could only drink his wine.

When Shadow brought the glass down from his lips with his right hand, it was only because his glass was empty. Placing his glass back down on the table, Shadow took another bite of his meat. The meat, though well cooked, and the sauce, though delicious, was nothing compared to the wine. Shadow's teeth went back to mechanically chewing and he found himself focusing on Chuck's every other word.

A red Little Planet fox female passed by and quickly refilled his glass. Shadow gave them a smile, but the red Little Planet fox female vanished before he could get a good look at them.

Sonic seemed to have realized the wonders of Deerwood Forest wine as well and he raised his glass up with his right hand and took a good long drink, downing half the glass.

_"That's my brother."_ Shadow thought.

Shadow shot Sonic a smile before raising his own glass once more with his right hand.

...

Tomorrow.

One of the Rooms.

Morning.

When Shadow woke up, his vision was swimming, his head felt as if it had been hit with wooden clubs by a pack of Mystical Beings, and there was a knock on the door.

For a moment, Shadow just stared at the ceiling as his mother could get the door, she was the only Mobius he knew who actually liked to get out of bed before the sun rose.

It took Shadow a moment to recognize the ceiling above him wasn't his.

Shadow sat up and blinked a few times and he put his right hand against his forehead and leaned against the bed frame. The room around Shadow was only vaguely familiar, he and Sonic had been given it when the company first arrived in Deerwood Forest, and they had gone back to it after dinner the night before. It was large, with most of the space empty. The surfaces of the wooden dressers and night stands were dust free and empty, and the beds had been neatly made before the two had slept in them. The rest of the space, though clean, was bare.

"Sonic, could you please get the door?" Shadow asked.

Sonic merely grunted from the other bed, the sound partially muffled by the pillow Sonic had his face buried in.

The knock came again, a bit louder than before and lasting a bit longer.

_"This can't be Charles."_ Shadow thought as he forced himself up.

By now Charles would have torn open the door.

When Shadow finally got to the door, his right hand held to his head and his left hand at his side, the knocking started once more. For a few moments, Shadow could only stand still and listen to the knocking.

Once it ended, Shadow opened the door with his left hand.

Shadow recognized the lime green Little Planet hedgehog male instantly, though it took him a moment to remember his name.

"Scourge." Shadow said, quickly straightening his back. "Prince Scourge." Shadow quickly corrected, giving a small bow as his mother and uncle had taught him. "I apologize for the wait."

"I've waited far longer for others before." Scourge said, quickly silenced.

Scourge's face was unreadable, his sky blue eyes seeming to simply stare at what was in front of Shadow.

_"Stay formal."_ Shadow reminded himself.

Of the 2 hedgehog brothers, Shadow was the one expected to make the best impression.

"Do you have need for us?" Shadow asked.

_"Why wouldn't he?"_ Shadow thought.

"I came to ask for a meeting later." Scourge said stepping forward, looking over to the bed where Sonic laid. "Now does not seem like the best of times."

Shadow stepped back, doing his best to try and block the lime green Little Planet hedgehog male's line of vision. "I apologize for my brother-" he said but was cut off.

"There is no need to apologize." Scourge asked. "I simply came to ask that you 2 meet me near the east hall before dinner. That should give you some time to prepare yourselves."

"What do you have need of?" Shadow asked.

"I simply have a few questions to ask you 2." Scourge said.

Shadow nodded. "And we will be glad to answer them." he said.

"Good." Scourge turned. "I shall be seeing you two later. Also, I had a special mixture be sent with your breakfast, which should be arriving soon. It should help with your condition."

When Scourge went looking for Amy again later that day, he found an empty room and an unmade bed. Just like she had at dinner the night before, she had quietly vanished with only a few hints that she had ever been there at all.

The night before, it had been an empty plate and chair that indicated that she was gone. Her servant had gone with her, and probably vanished during one of Chuck's long winded questions

Scourge sighed. Earlier, he'd come here looking for her and another servant, one he did not recognize, mentioned that she was sleeping and had asked not to be disturbed. Now, she was gone.

Turning around, he headed towards the east hall. If he hadn't been busy instructing soldiers earlier than perhaps he would have had time to go search for his friend. But there was a meeting he had to attend to, one he certainly couldn't cancel.

When he got to the east hall, he was surprised to see the two Mobius princes.

That saves some time, Scourge thought.

His slight smile vanished, however, when he saw that the two were alone.

"Prince Scourge," the dark quilled Mobius, Sonic if Scourge remembered correctly, said. He gave a small bow. "We are glad to see you."

Scourge merely raised an eyebrow. He had hoped that they would not have bothered with the formalities.

"What have you come to ask us?" The older one continued.

"Have you seen her?"

The two blinked.

"Do you mean Amy?" Shadow asked.

"Who else do you think that I would be referring to?"

The two Mobians stiffened and glanced towards the other.

"My apologies," Scourge said. "I simply have been looking for her. I have some questions to ask of her."

"Oh," Shadow said. "I'm sorry, but we haven't seen her all day. She was at dinner last night and then she was..."

"Gone," his brother added.

"Oh." Scourge looked to the ground. "Might I ask you a few questions instead?"

Shadow nodded. "Of course."

Scourge wordlessly sat down and motioned with his hand for the two to follow. They did so, leaning against the dark wooden wall.

"Are you her friends?"

The two blinked again.

"I think so," Sonic finally said.

"I hope so." Shadow quickly added.

"I think you are." Scourge sighed. "We were friends once. Now? Now I hardly know anything, except that the person I thought was dead for so long never really died." Scourge locked his hands together. "But if she was not dead, then what was she?"

Sonic bit his lip. He looked ready to say something, but stopped himself.

"She was," Shadow said. He tightened his fists together before breaking them apart a few moments later. He continued this for a while. "The thing is," the blond Mobius finally continued, "Amy never told us much. Most of it we learned from Espio, actually."

"Espio?" Scourge raised an eyebrow. "Is that a Mobius?"

Sonic laughed, and for a moment even Shadow smiled. "No, Espio was too big to be a Mobius."

"Espio was," Shadow continued, "an ally, her friend. He knew a lot about her, and faced some of what she faced." He stiffened. "To be completely honest, I do not know if I should tell you. My brother and I don't truly know that much, and we never asked her about it."

"She would always get so nervous if it got brought up." Sonic wrapped his arms around his waist. "And start hugging herself like this. She always looked so afraid, and it would take her a while to start to relax again."

Shadow had expected the Little Planet animal to get angry. It was clear that he wanted answers, and had probably expected to get more out of the two Mobians than this.

Instead, he simply looked down to his lap. "No, no, I understand. Thank you for not bringing it up." Scourge paused. "Whatever happened to her must have been truly inexcusable and horrific."

Before, Shadow never would have imagined that the son of Jules could cry. It used to be that he was nothing but another Little Planet animal that his uncle ranted about, a caricature without a name. Now, he was sobbing in front of Shadow and his brother with no sign of stopping.

Shadow searched his mind for a reply. When he found none, he looked over to his brother. Sonic was always good at filling in the blanks for him.

Sonic could not help him, not now, not when he was crying himself.

...

"Excuse me, mistress," the servant girl spoke. Her eyes shifted as she spoke, moving from Anita's face to the floor to the walls.

Anita raised a dark eyebrow. "What is it?" She recognized the girl from the night before, the one who had sat beside Amy during dinner. She had spoken rarely the night before, mostly eating her food. Anything she did say was directed to the red quilled Little Planet animal.

"I was wondering if you knew where Amy was."

It was not a surprising question. It should have been expected; still, that did not Anita figure out an answer any sooner.

The girl stared up at her, eyes wide and lips parted in just the slightest, as if she were going to ask another question at any moment.

"I do not know," she said after a few moments. "I apologize."

The girl blinked. "Ah, I see. Thank you, mistress."

Anita stepped forward, looking the girl in the eyes. There were only a few inches between the two, but the servant's eyes widened as if a monster was staring down at her. Anita straightened her back and cleared her throat. "If you would like, I could look for her."

The girl's cheeks turned red and her eyes quickly shifted towards the ground once again. Her body was slack, hands held together, and face hidden by her quills. "Oh no, I could never ask that of you. I was told to look for her earlier. Besides, I am sure that you have business of your own to attend to. The soldiers surely need you."

Anita shook her head. "Today has been a rather uneventful day." She paused, and only continued to speak when the other Little Planet animal remained quiet. "Things have been rather slow paced ever since Amy and the Mobians arrived."

"You still do not need to."

Anita paused, looking the other over. "It would not bother me." She turned. "I actually have business to discuss to discuss and questions to ask her."

"Oh."

"You may come with me, if you would like." Anita motioned her forward.

"Must I?" Her voice shook.

"Would you like to?"

After a few moments, the other nodded. "If you would like it, mistress."

"Anita," she replied.

She nodded.

"And you?"

"Brenda."

Anita stepped forward. "Come with me. I have a few ideas where she might be."

Brenda quickly stepped forward. "As you wish."

"Might I ask that you do something for me on the way?"

"Most certainly."

"Tell me everything that you know of her. It may not be much; I would hardly expect such. Still, I would take your word over whatever rumors the soldiers and Deerwood Forest citizens have surely already started spreading."

Amy no longer knew how long she had stared at the painting. Were it not for a few small details and small paint splatters, it was as if she were staring at her mother.

The painting, however, was still. Paintings did not breathe, nor did they have warm flesh. When Amy reached her fingers out towards it, she merely touched a smooth canvas, her hands running over colors and brush strokes.

Mother never told me that someone painted her, Amy thought.

She had hardly seemed like the modeling type. Though she could be serious, as her grim face in the painting showed, she was never one to stay still for long. Her job and family life kept her moving forward.

There were other paintings in the room, a small space that Scourge had shown her years before when they were younger. If her mother's portrait had been there before, she could not remember it.

Maybe it was made before she died, Amy thought, and then cringed, pulling her hand away from the portrait.

"My father comes here when he wants to be alone," Scourge had said. There had been a twinkle in his eye as he spoke. "Make sure that he does not think that we were in here."

She had not even thought of coming here, not by herself. Her legs had simply moved, guiding her wherever they pleased.

Where else would I go? Amy thought.

Her room had been nice, certainly much better than what she had been given by the Mystical Beings, but it was hardly cozy. After a while, the walls had seemed to shrink and sleep had never again returned to her eyes; the only way to block it from her mind, it seemed, was simply to leave.

The room, like so much of Deerwood Forest, seemed to have not changed. There was a bit more dust inside than before, but beyond that nothing was different save for the one additional painting.

Amy turned away from the portrait of her mother and looked again to the others. Below the paintings were simple papers stuck to the wall stating the name of the person. Time had taken its toll on some of the papers, and what little Amy could make out tended to be hard to read. Her mother's painting had simply been discovered by memory.

There was a slight creak, breaking through the silence.

Amy froze.

"I told you she was in a room in this wing," a voice said.

Amy's hands reached towards the bow on her back, but never touched it.

"Mistress," a familiar voice said, and Amy quickly pulled her hands away.

"Brenda?"

"Oh, Amy," she responded. "You asked me to call you that." She averted her eyes to the ground.

The black quilled woman beside her, however, locked eyes with Amy. "It is good that we have found you. Many are in need of you."

Amy paused. "I should have known."

"Do not worry," the woman replied, in the same blank tone. Her voice was monotone, neither rising nor falling. "They will simply be pleased to have found you." She motioned Amy to move forward. "Please come with us."

When Amy left the room, both Amy and the other woman were silent. The only one who made any noise at all was Brenda, whose feet lacked lightness. Every few seconds, pebbles creaked under her feet, and her footsteps echoed across the lean, wooden walls.

"That woman in the painting," Brenda suddenly said. "Was that your mother, Amy?"

Amy's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"You were looking at her intensely." Brenda replied. "And you look a bit like her."

"She was a good woman," the other Little Planet animal, the black quilled one, spoke up. Amy had only briefly seen her the night before and never caught her name.

Amy raised an eyebrow. "You knew her?"

"I was an ordinary soldier once. Your mother hardly knew me; I was just one of many in a sea of faces. I knew her, however. She was dependable, strong, and smart. If King Jules needed something then he turned to her." She paused, looking over to Amy. "Though I suppose that you already knew all of that."

"How did you gain your position?" Back before things had changed, when things had been better, her mother had seemed fit to serve King Jules for centuries to come.

"Through training," she responded. "Back when-"

Brenda suddenly shot her a look, her forehead wrinkling and frown deepening.

"I," she suddenly said again. "For a while there was no captain of the guard."

Everyone went silent once more. This time, everyone was still as well.

The woman looked back to Brenda, who motioned her forward.

"As I was saying," she said, walking ahead once more, "I had to earn my position. I am sure that your mother did the same."

Amy nodded. Her mother had told her stories about it, tales to fill her daughter's head and keep her occupied. Now, the stories were faded, words and images mixed together in her mind.

"It was hard work, but I am glad for the position."

Brenda shot her another look.

"Not, of course, that your mother was not a wonderful leader. I can certainly attest to that."

"I am sure that you can."

The room was a bit too big, as if the stone walls were trying to pull away from each other. In one corner, an old grey wolf pack slept, curled up in a furry ball. Items, everything from bottles to papers to rolls of bandages, were scattered across the various grey counters and tables, and some even had spilled onto the floor.

"I have heard quite a bit about you," Sally said. Her yellow eyes peered over Amy, taking in every part of her. Amy for once was happy with what Mephiles had insisted she wear, as for once it did not show much skin. In fact, it covered most of her, save her hands and face. The long sleeves and skirt were a comfort, even if the dress was a bit big on her. "Whatever connections you have with Mephiles do not matter to me. I would hardly call myself a gossiper."

Amy nodded.

"However, Mephiles has instructed me to teach you." Her eyes narrowed. "You will listen to me, won't you?" Her voice lowered. "Mephiles was quite serious when he spoke to me. If you are not trained properly..."

"Yes?"

"I would be lucky if a healer could fix me after what he said he would do to me." Her frown deepened. "Though, I suppose he warned you of that as well." Her hand came up, brushing the one bruise that Amy had tried hardest to hide. For all that her dress hid, it could not keep away one dark, fresh bruise that rose from her stomach. Her eyes softened for a moment. "After what supposedly happened in the arena, I would hardly consider yourself to be the controlling vixen some try and paint you out to be,"

Amy quickly looked away from her. "So that is what they have been saying?"

"Oh, they have been saying far more than that." The woman sighed. "I hardly worry about those things, not now. They used to say things about me as well. I was a witch to many until I saved them from sickness."

Amy's throat tightened.

Why would any ordinary Mystical Being need her help? What kind of Mystical Being would want her to treat them when there were other healers like this woman here?

"I learned my work from another," Sally continued. "Someone far wiser than me." She pointed to the floor. "Pick up a few things and I will show you some of the things that she first taught me. By the end of it, you should be looking much better."

"I suppose that you know why you were called here." Jules's voice was monotone, neither rising nor falling. His face was just as hard to decipher; though his eyes lacked coldness, nothing else could be told from them. His thin lips were a straight line whenever he was not speaking. He seemed more like a statue than any living being.

Amy nodded. Her hands were held in her lap and hidden under the table. She could only imagine what others would think if they saw the way that her hands shook. Her body felt heavier than before, as if she were being weighed down to the chair by the number of eyes on her.

She supposed that it could be worse. Most of the Mobians were not inside, and Jules had only invited a few of the upper most elves. That included Anita, however, whose gaze was sharp.

"I suppose that I should have known that this was coming." Amy's voice was low.

From the corner of her eye, she could make out the rest of those inside. Anita and Scourge (along with a few Little Planet animals that Amy did not know) sat close to Jules, while Chuck sat in the middle next to Charles, and beside him sat Shadow and Sonic. Next to Amy sat Simon and Finitevus.

The room was silent for a moment.

"What," Jules finally said, "happened?"

"If you need to take your time," Simon suddenly spoke up, placing his hand on Amy's shoulder, "then feel free to. We can wait."

Amy grimaced, but nodded towards him anyway. The feeling of relief that ran through her when he pulled his hand away ran through her entire body.

It was a long story, Amy realized, as she continued to tell what had happened. There was just so much, and they seemed ready to listen to everything.

The longer she spoke, the more that her chest tightened. Everyone in the room only seemed to be staring at her harder and harder.

The meeting had been impromptu, simply on the whim of Jules and Charles while trying to make an alliance before the Mobians left. Politics had vanished from her mind the moment that she had entered Deerwood Forest, yet it had continued on even while she had explored her homeland once again.

What were they saying to each other earlier? Amy thought, her eyes momentarily flickering from Charles to Jules.

For hours, her mind had been lost in that painting of her mother. What could have happened during that time?

For a moment longer, she sat still and waited for one of the occasional questions. They were rare, but when one was asked it was thorough, as if the asker was trying to pick Amy's words apart like meat from a bone.

"And then," she said, breaking away from her momentary silence.

Sonic's back was straight as a board and his eyes were wide. Every few moments, he looked to Shadow, who merely shot him sympathetic glances. His brother's face was set in a deep frown, and his blue eyes seemed heavy.

Part of him wanted to simply let the words pass him by like he did at most political meetings. He was not Charles's main heir and had never been treated as such; if there was anything good about being younger than Shadow, than it was the leniency that he received compared to his brother.

It would have been nice to stop listening, to let the words turn into chattering, to let his mind daydream and wonder to a place far away.

Instead, his eyes remained on Amy and his ears listened intently. Judging by the Shadow's grim look, he was doing the same.

They all know, Amy realized. Each and every single one of them knows.

She stared at the ceiling. Her room, so small and yet far too big, was empty. Beyond its walls, Little Planet animals and Mobians discussed everything that she had said.

What are they saying? Amy thought.

She had left as soon as she could. When there was nothing left to say, when her eyes were heavy and voice hoarse, she left. Anita followed behind her, her bow held in her hands. Once Amy was at the door of her room, the dark quilled woman shot her a smile. It shook on her face, as if she hardly knew how to do it.

"I am sorry, Amy."

Amy had not replied.

Amy pulled her blankets around her tighter. So many were stacked on her bed, all but crushing her, and yet nothing could shake away the chill that had found its way into her bones. It was like a frost that came suddenly overnight, covering the grass and trees, and stubbornly stayed long into the next few days.

She closed her eyes. They were heavy, yet she doubted that she would be able to sleep any time soon. She had tried many times since she had entered the room, each attempt even more futile than the previous.

What would make this one any different?

When the two princes left Jules's meeting room, Scourge followed them.

"What she mentioned today," he said, "you did not know?"

"Hardly," Shadow replied.

"I never could have imagined..."

She saw blood and heard screams, screams everywhere. Screams filled her ears from all sides, screams that she could never even dream of stopping.

When she awoke, the screams were still in her ears, and the images of those in horror remained firmly in her mind.

Her stomach twisted and turned inside of her chest, sweat covered the back of her neck and arms, and her heart raced. The room around her was darker, the fire from earlier having stopped. With what little strength she had left, she tore through the pile of blankets from earlier, letting them spill to the floor.

She did not change clothes or fuss over her quills. She merely grabbed her bow and ran out of the room, her bare feet stinging with each step she took. Still, she ran faster than ever before.

...

Amy clutched at her bow with all of her strength, letting the wood dig into her skin. Pain filled the tips of her finger, but at least it was a feeling, a feeling strong enough to combat the sharp pain in her chest and head.

"You really must-" one Little Planet animal said.

"-get to your-" another put in.

"-room." The words slid from one Little Planet animal to the other. Around her stood a blur of faces in matching Deerwood Forest palace servant garb. Each reached out towards her but Amy kept taking another step back. The only thing that she could really distinguish from the blur was the Little Planet animals' eyes, so wide and sad, as if they wanted to fill her image in their eyes.

If her heart beat any faster than she was sure that it would fly out of her chest, rip through her skin and leave nothing but a giant hole in her chest.

Would that be so bad? For a moment, Amy's mind slipped. Maybe it would. No heart, no skin on her chest-

No one would ever want to look at her or touch her again.

She would be too ugly for anyone, even a Mystical Being. No Little Planet animal would turn to her either, not when she was not fair and pleasing to the eye like others of her race were. Mobians? Most hated Little Planet animals anyway.

It was as good of an idea as any that she had.

Amy stiffened.

"I apologize," one Little Planet animal spoke. Her frown deepened, sending slight wrinkles down her pale face. The blue of her eyes was like ice, cold and solid and unwavering; never did she look away from Amy or relax her gaze or stiff looking shoulders. She clung tightly to Amy's wrist. "King Jules simply asked that someone watch over you."

"The king," another Little Planet animal picked up. He held on a bit tighter to Amy's other wrist, "is very worried about you."

"Let go of me!" Amy rushed forward, but the others merely tightened their grip on her. With another, harder pull she loosened her grip from one person and with another jerk she was out of the other.

"Please, you need-"

"-to come with-"

"-us!"

Her heart was beating faster, not just in her chest but in her head, so loud that even the Little Planet animals' words were getting hard to hear.

The Little Planet animals began shouting again, even louder than before and yet just not loud enough. Amy's feet ached with every step that her bare feet took, twigs and pebbles digging into her skin.

Shadow leaned against the wall and held his knife out. It gave a cold glow in the dim light, still shiny but not quite the same as it had been when he had first packed it. Though it lacked the dirt and blood of some of his other weapons, it seemed to also lack... Something. Just what he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Watch where you're pointing that," Remington called from across the room. His nose was buried in a book and his hand was moving a mile a minute as he wrote things down.

"What are you so worried about?" Shadow sighed and opened his jacket before placing his knife back in. How nice it would be to not have to take it out again. To think, for once he was actually wanting peace.

He supposed that he had only recently become a man. After all, had he been a man when his uncle asked him to join him in his quest then perhaps he would have refused. It wouldn't have been a terrible act, not when all that he would face was hours of walking (not to mention legs that never seemed to stop being swords), a wizard that vanished and then appeared again at will, and a lack of food. Surely he would have refused.

But it had been an eager eyed boy that had gone running after his uncle, his brother right behind him. This was supposed to be an adventure, a little boy's story come to life.

It was hard to simply call this quest a story. Oh, it was certainly an adventure in its own regard, but if anyone learned all the details they would surely be unsatisfied by the tale. There was action, yes, but something else.

Something that just didn't fit into a story's romanticized look at life.

The boy in him likely would not have been pleased to have been staying in Deerwood Forest either. Yet Hill Top Village and Deerwood Forest both had been welcoming and the people inside generous, and both Shadow and Sonic had a Little Planet animal to call their friend. The wide eyed boys, following their uncles around like puppies, just didn't fit any longer.

Shadow sighed again.

"What has you so worried?" Remington called. He sat across from Shadow in the small guest room. He was dressed in a Little Planet robe that was far too large for him, though he had kept his scarf on. Never did his eyes look up from the paper that he was writing on.

Shadow didn't reply, just opened his jacket once more. It was a spare that he had brought, or rather that his mother had. She had told him to bring spares after all.

"Never know when you might need one," she had said.

"But Mother," he had replied. "What if my pack is too heavy?"

She had scoffed. Her lips were turned down, and no amount of her dark muzzle quills could hide that from her face. "You'll thank me for this later."

Well, his pack had certainly become lighter ever since most of his stuff was lost while the goblins attacked.

At least you have something, he thought.

"You wouldn't understand," Shadow replied, never looking to him. Instead, his eyes turned downwards and he began to examine his shoes-one covered in brown dirt and the other still bearing age old stains. His boots were scruffed and old yet also achingly familiar.

"And how would you know that?"

"I've seen that look in your eyes before." Remington paused, standing up and stretching his arms and legs out. "You would too if you saw it in the mirror every day."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that you miss someone." Remington paused. "I would say that it was your brother, but he's here, and I thought it might be Amy, but she is here as well." He finally looked up, locking his eyes on Shadow's own. "Is it your mother?"

Shadow recoiled. "Remington?"

"I told you, I've seen that look before." Remington shrugged. "I miss my mother too. Every day I write her a letter, even when there's no way to get my letters to her. At least after the battle she'll have something to remember my journey by."

"Remington-"

"Everyone has someone that they miss."

Shadow opened his mouth to speak again but stopped himself. What did it matter? At the end of the day, it would be Remington who would be the one turning the flow of the conversation anyway.

"I just.." He looked back down to his shoes. His mother would know what to do; she knew how to handle anything, no matter how heavy the challenge.

"Here," Remington said, standing up and padding softly along the room. The Little Planet clothing he wore, a green tunic that looked more like a long dress on his short frame, hung around him, swishing as he moved, He tore off a piece of blank paper from the book that he had and handed it to Shadow. "Write it for your mother and give her a little look into what her son has been doing. Let her see things through your eyes."

Shadow nearly replied but kept his mouth shut. That was one of the duties of being a prince, after all. Sometimes being honest just was not worth it.

But after everything that he had witnesses, did his mother really want to see what Shadow had?

Sonic stared down at his food, only half eaten. Rather than being called into the dining hall to eat with the king, lunch had simply been brought to the princes' room. Judging by the multiple Little Planet animals walking around and holding trays of food outside, this was happening to everyone. Knowing the Mobians, some would not even be at their room. Charles was probably off brooding or plotting somewhere and wherever he went Finitevus was sure to follow.

The Little Planet animals' food was not bad, at least not when compared to some of the other food that he had eaten during the quest. Deerwood Forest food was certainly different from Hill Top Village food; whereas Hill Top Village food had been green (a rather disgusting color shade for food, at least if anyone asked Remington), the Deerwood Forest was brown and red, the meat chewy and bread thick. It was definitely better than some of the animals that the company had cooked during their quest, everything from small birds to squirrels.

Still, the food could not hold his attention.

Sonic closed his eyes. He could still feel the cold wind beat against his skin as he looked off into the distance. Below him, the rocky earth seemed to tremble with anticipation, as if even the guardian mountain itself could sense what lay ahead. The entire company, Chuck and Charles especially, seemed in awe at the sight before them.

The mountain was larger than a speck in the distance, but far enough away that Sonic could not make out every little detail. It showed enough about itself to capture his interest and yet still held an air of mystery.

At least he hoped. All his life he had dreamed of the mountain, the magical place written in his uncle's stories and gleaming in his mother's eyes. It had to be as wonderful as they described.

But there's a dragon there, he thought.

Opening his eyes, Sonic looked down to his plate. Most of his food had merely been pushed around with his fork. He supposed it was better than Shadow, who had been staring at the same piece of paper for what felt like hours.

A dragon, Sonic thought. It had been the monster of his childhood, a beast that he had once thought lived beneath his bed or deep in the darkest of shadows; yet he had always been safe as a child, so long as the dragon slept in its pile of hoarded gold beneath a mountain that was not truly its own.

"What," he wanted to say to his brother, "are we going to do?"

Instead, he merely remained silent. Whatever was bothering Shadow was obviously taking up most of his attention, and he doubted that Shadow would be able to give him an answer. Though he was the older one, the smarter one, the one that Charles wanted to make the next king, it was not as if he would have an answer to what they would do next.

And, unless his uncle had a truly masterful plan, he doubted that any of the other Mobians would either.

If anyone looked at her then, they probably would have felt even sorrier for her than they already did. If they could just see her, curled up in her bed after being brought back to her room by her mother's replacement (who had barely even looked Amy in the eyes), then they would surely release a few tears.

She had heard the rumors of course and seen the pitying looks. Some of the servants completely avoided her, though they still gave her that same wide eyed look coupled with a heavy frown. Were they trying to imitate what they thought that she looked like?

Amy wrapped her blankets around her tighter. The urge to get out of her room (was it even really hers?) had vanished. If going outside meant seeing those looks, hearing conversations being started by one and finished by another, being told what she must and must not do, and being reminded over and over of what others thought...

Then maybe it would be better for once to disappear, to vanish beneath a pile of sheets.

It was not as if she ever got that chance anywhere else.

She knew what they would say, long before the words ever left their lips. And in a way Amy supposed that they were right. Perhaps it truly was a terrible idea.

Still, it was all that she had left to do.

One last promise to fulfill.

One last chance to finally make things right.

...

Sally let out a heavy sigh, one that seemed to come from deep within her body and fill the entire room. Amy looked down, from the cot that she was sitting on the edge of, to her feet. The air in the room was stiff and slightly stuffy, the temperature a mix of both too cold and too hot.

Surely Sally could feel it as well, at least if she was feeling like this. Though she was hardly the cheerful type, she usually did not look this... What was the right word? She did not look bad. No, she was at straight backed and sharp eyed as ever, though her frown was heavier and movements even more precise than usual. Her hands moved quickly and with grace, something that even her scarred body could not hide. She went from one side of Amy's face to the other, washing her face with water. Though the wet cloth stung when it touched her skin, she merely bit her lip and let the healer continue.

"I," Amy said, the word out of her mouth only a moment after Sally had pulled the cloth from her face. She wrapped her arms around her waist. "I apologize for this."

There was silence for a moment; most days, Sally had work to do, Mystical Beings who needed her. Now, the room was empty save for the two and nearly dead quiet. Had the two gone still then it likely would have sounded as if no one was in there at all.

Sally didn't reply, just plunged the cloth back into a bucket of water. The water around it turned red before slowly mixing into a thin, semi-transparent pink color.

Amy's stomach twisted.

"I suppose that I have reason to complain," Sally commented. "In truth, I would much rather be spending more time properly teaching you rather than simply treating you. Yet, I suppose that this at least gives you an idea of what you will be doing to others."

She walked over to one of her large cabinets, hung onto the stone wall, and opened it. Inside were bottles and jars of various colors, shapes, and sizes. She looked around for a moment before finally grabbing a round, dark green jar. It fit just slightly less than comfortably in the palm of her hand, and Sally held it tightly as she walked over to Amy.

"I can assure you that this will work better than most other ointments," Sally said. She opened the jar, the green glass top glimmering in the dim light. Shadows covered half of Sally's face, and the other half was the same as before, all sharp eyes that seemed to see everything that was in front of her and heavy frown. "You should be healed in no time at all."

"Thank you. Again, I apologise."

Sally's only reply was to put the ointment, cold and sticky, onto Amy's face.

Amy looked around her room, to the small pile of clothes that had been brought in for her sometime earlier to her bedsheets. Unlike her arrows, which had a quiver to hold them, there was nothing to pack her other things in.

Well, at least if she did not make do. The Mobians certainly had during their journey, keeping what little they had together even when most was lost to trolls.

There is nothing, Amy reminded herself, wrong with improvising.

Each movement she took was careful and quick. There was only so much time that she could take in that room, the one Jules had been so adamant to give her and yet she knew could never truly be her own, and picked up the clothes. Looking over them, she sighed before dropping most onto the floor. Though her clothes from Espio's had been washed, everything else was useless. She hardly considered Little Planet robes that went past her feet to be useful in battle.

Did Jules himself pick these out? Amy thought as she dropped another clothing piece to the floor.

She hoped that someone at least thought to give her something more practical.

Not that it mattered. The Mobians had made do, wearing the same thing every day, and they had gotten so far doing just that. It may not have been the most comfortable, but it had at least gotten them somewhere.

She would just have to do the same.

Amy picked up her bed sheet and looked over it. If anything, it would at least give her something to cover up with. Amy picked it up and turned the silky material over in her hand.

No, she thought, dropping it back onto the bed. It was fit for Jules's halls, not the wilds that lay beyond his kingdom.

She sighed. Quickly, she changed, grabbing her bow and quiver just before she left.

Perhaps Jules would at least be pleased that she had not taken anything from him.

Before the flames could touch him, smoke filled his nostrils and blocked his vision in a hazy, dark grey cloud. Sweat covered him, and he could not decide if he wanted to rip his clothes off to escape the heat or to keep his clothes on anyway. There was still a bit of space left beneath his clothes, all thick fabrics and heavy fur and wools, that had yet to be touched by sweat - a small shield that protected him from the overwhelming heat.

Shadow had thought, and hoped, that it would at least be a quick death. A blink of the eye, a tiny bit of pain, and then nothing. One moment he was in the mountain of his forefathers and the next moment he was finally meeting them.

Mobians were an unlucky race; for the terrible lives heaped upon them, they seemed to not be able to get a decent death.

He raised his sword up, as if it could somehow protect him from the beast hovering above him. Mist Dragon was even worse than he had imagined, his head nearly reaching the mountain's ceiling. His eye alone seemed large enough to see everything, and everyone, in the room. It was one of the few things still visible beyond the smoke.

Around him, others scrambled over the gold, rushing for a safe space that no longer existed.

Mist Dragon knows this mountain, Shadow thought. His stomach tightened in his chest, twisting and turning into knots. He has lived in here for over a century; surely by now he knows every nook and cranny.

Not to mention the smell of Mobius.

There was shouting around him, a rush of voices that seemed to be coming in every direction. Before, Shadow had been able to tell the company apart by their footsteps alone, not just their voice. True, Gloin was a bit of a heavy stepper, but he had a voice fit for a storyteller that captured everyone's attention (though, once his stories got a bit long and lost their plot, nothing the Mobius could say could bring anyone's attention back).

Mist Dragon opened his mouth once more, showing off his thin and wet pink tongue. Every tooth in his mouth seemed larger, sharper, and yellower than the last. From deep within his throat came a rumbling growl that seemed to echo throughout the entire mountain.

Shadow moved, taking a step back but still keeping his sword held high. Blond quills stuck to his forehead and his feet struggled to keep up. If he fell now it truly would be over, then and there.

It was almost funny how important a few final seconds were, a few extra moments before his soul was finally freed. As much as he knew (and had always known) death was coming, it was almost hard to believe how long it had taken to finally get there.

Sonic, he thought. I have to find Sonic.

Shadow stepped back, turning his head to the sides and then back at the dragon. The world was a haze, a blur of yellow and orange and grey, the colors twisting and mixing in his vision.

"Sonic!" he yelled. "Sonic!"

Mist Dragon's roar only grew, until it filled Shadow's ears, and his throat glowed a bright orange color.

Shadow turned, swerving on the gold and rushing to the left. Sonic had gone to the left earlier? He could not be sure; there were so many possibilities and only one exact answer. Either way, it was better to run than face the alternative.

Perhaps Sonic... Shadow thought as he raced along the gold, struggling to find the other in his blurred vision.

No.

No, he could not think like that, not now, not when his brother needed him.

"Sonic!" he yelled again, though he doubted anyone heard him above the dragon's roar.

"She has been acting..." the girl paused, her eyes on the ground. She squeezed the end of her dress a few moments, tightening the fabric between her fingers every few moments before finally releasing it. "My mistress has been acting rather strange lately." Her voice lowered near the end.

Scourge nodded. His eyes darted to the door; whatever was going on, it had been important enough that she had gone to him.

"I tried to stop her, I truly did."

"Tried to stop her from what?" Scourge's voice rose. He reached for his bow, clutching it tightly. "What did she do?"

He should have gotten a guard. She was his friend, his companion, yet-

Yet he had not seen for years, not since that fateful day when he had thought her dead. When she finally did show up, she was with a band of Mobians and reeked of the smell of animals. Were it not for her quill color, he might not even have recognized the pale, scrawny figure.

"What happened?" he repeated. Scourge's heart beat against his chest. He had hoped giving her some privacy would help, especially after everything that she had revealed to him and the others.

Would it have truly been better to confront her?

"She," the girl replied, her voice shaking. "She left. I tried to stop her, but she pushed past me, told me that she had to go. She said that it was the only thing that she could do."

"Why?"

"I do not know!" She bit her lip. "I saw her before when she was crying or when she was clutching at herself. When I saw her then, she was angry, and refused to listen to any of my protests. Nothing could have stopped her, nothing."

"I could have!" Scourge stepped forward.

The servant girl pointed ahead. "She would not listen to my protests; there was nothing that I could say to stop her."

Scourge looked back to her. He had seen her a number of times yet never paid much attention to her. Now, he looked her over, from her wide eyes to her white palms clutching at her skirt.

"Can you at least," he said, his voice finally lowering, "tell me which direction she went?"

The girl nodded and pointed ahead.

Scourge sighed. "Send word to my father." With a great leap, he hurdled forward before racing off.

Shadow sighed, breaking away from his daydream.

What morbid thoughts you have, he thought. He stood up and began to stretch out his arms and legs.

Still, he supposed that it was as close to the truth as any. Though there was no guarantee what the future held, most of the possibilities were grim.

And why should they not be? he thought.

He sighed. His mother had tried to stop Charles originally, back when she thought that it was just an adventurous notion in his uncle's mind, nothing more and nothing less. Everyone had thought it back then, when all that mattered was the rising and setting of the sun and the affairs of the Mountain Stormtop.

She tried to stop us, Shadow thought. He could still see his mother's face, her grey eyes burning into him as she reached out to him. Though the boys had their bags packed and maps in their hands, she still held her arms out and left the door opened.

If only Shadow had stopped his brother and turned back. Charles could do as he pleased; it was his kingdom, not theirs. Mount Splatterhorn was a dream, a memory only his uncle knew of.

A memory we have to die for, Shadow thought.

He slouched back against the wall. The walls and ceiling of the room vanished, the deep, cool wood of the Deerwood Forest forest melting away to a world miles away, to a stony mountain where dragons rested beneath piles of gold.

He had checked every gate, asked every guard, and each one had assured him that Amy had not left the kingdom.

"We would have noticed," one had said.

Everywhere he looked, Scourge searched for a flash of bright pink quills. Every movement out of the corner of his eye was a possibility, and every possibility turned out to be nothing but mere hopes.

His legs ached, the steps finally wearing into his feet. Each step forward sent another rush of pain up through his legs and the rest of his body.

Scourge gritted his teeth and clutched his bow tighter. Around him, soldiers and citizens called, but other than a few hand motions he did not reply. Turning the corner, another section of the kingdom checked, he picked up his pace. There was only so much space left, only a few more dark corners that he had not checked.

He took one step forward and then another, faster than before. There was no time to slow down, not now.

When he finally saw her, he supposed that it was luck that he finally saw her. The flash of pink quills was impossible to ignore, nor did it surprise him that she was heading towards where the Mobian animals were standing.

"Amy!"

She turned, her eyes wide even from the distance. She was still for a moment before she turned and ran, her own bow in her hands.

She could feel his arms on her. He held a foot forward, as if trying to wrap his leg around her own.

"Scourge, what are you doing?" she yelled, struggling forward.

"What are you doing?" he replied. His voice fell. "All I know is that you are leaving! Why would you want to?"

"Is it not obvious?" she replied. She kept pushing forward. If she could just find the right moment then she could break free of him; eventually, he would have to loosen his grip. "Let go of me, Scourge! You cannot tell me what to do!"

"Amy, my father and I-"

"Let go!" She was screaming now. Had others been around then perhaps they would have heard her.

She pushed forward, hard enough to send both of them forward and on the ground. Scourge landed on top of her, his stomach rock hard against her.

"Get off of me!"

"No! You have no idea what you are doing!"

"I do!" She pushed up against him. "You are acting ridiculous." He had done this before, when they were younger; back then her parents used to laugh at their antics and the two could laugh along with them.

That was ages ago, an entirely different life.

"I said," Amy repeated, pushing harder against him, "to get off of me!"

He did not relent, just help his arms down on the ground, pinning her beneath him. "What are you trying to do? Why are you leaving?"

Amy clenched her fists. "To kill him."

Scourge silenced, and he pulled his head away from her.

That was as good of a moment as any, and she gave one last push against him before they were no longer tangled on top of each other. Had she not been so busy than she would have stopped to wipe the dirt and dust from her clothes.

"I want him dead, Scourge. He, Mephiles, he ruined my life. I thought that I could hide here, behind the walls that I once called home."

"Amy, you told me what happened to you. He is vicious-"

"Do not tell me what he is, Scourge. I am the only who met him." She took a step back, her glare hardening. "He killed my parents and then used me-" She bit her lip. "Made me-"

No, there was no point in repeating what he had already heard.

"He is going to hurt my friends, Scourge, and their family as well. I know Mephiles more than I would like, and enough to know that when he says that he wants to wipe the line of Durin from the face of Middle Earth, I know that he means it." She turned away from him and began to move forward. "I already lost so many to him; if I can stop him from taking more, then it will all be worth it."

There were footsteps behind her, slower this time. Scourge's head was bowed, his eyes on the ground. For a while, he remained like that, a few steps behind and his eyes on the ground. Every few moments he would open his mouth and then close it again.

"Should I grab anything before we go?" he finally asked.

"We already have enough," Amy replied. "There is no time left to turn back now."

She tightened her hold on her bow. Her coat was heavy, and hung down against her thin frame. For a moment, it was almost as if she could feel the metal hidden in secret pockets inside, cold and sharp, against her stomach instead of fur.

"Are you sure that you need to do this?" Scourge's voice wavered.

"It is the only thing that I can do now." She closed her eyes. "I will say this again, Scourge: I am going to kill Mephiles, and there is nothing left that you or your father can do to stop me."

* * *

End of Chapter 2.

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